On This Day in History

May 20

May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 225 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2024
Missouri woman accused of orchestrating $116,000 lottery scheme using stolen credit cards. A Missouri woman was indicted by a federal grand jury for orchestrating a conspiracy to buy nearly 2,000 lottery tickets with stolen credit cards, totaling over $116,000 in fraudulent winnings and purchases.
2022
Florida lottery winner discovers unemployment benefits collected by imposter. Charles Dennis Engelhardt's legacy of state lottery winnings took a strange turn this month when Florida's unemployment offices (DEO) and Florida Lottery withheld his $600 Florida Lotto X winnings to cover part of a "current debt balance" of $1,799 for an unemployment overpayment.
2020
Pennsylvania woman wins $1 million from scratch-off ticket following husband's recent death. After a Pennsylvania woman suffered the tragic loss of her husband, her life took another unexpected turn when she won $1 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
2019
Florida Lottery winner of $1M among suspects rounded up in major drug bust. Last week, a 27-year-old Florida woman who in 2018 collected a $1 million lottery prize was among more than 20 suspects apprehended by police in a major drug bust.
2019
World Lottery Association president urges veto of warning labels. Florida's first lottery secretary called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto legislation placing warning labels on tickets.
2018
New Jersey lottery ticket wins $315.3 million Powerball jackpot. A single ticket sold in New Jersey has won the $315.3 million Powerball jackpot in Saturday's drawing, lottery officials announced early Sunday.
2015
California man wins $1 million an hour after depositing $25,000 lottery winnings. A streak of good luck made a Huntington Beach, California, man an instant millionaire immediately after he deposited a separate $25,000 payment from the California Lottery on Friday.
2015
Florida man wins $10 million in lottery scratch-off game. A Hallandale Beach, Florida, man spent $25 on a Florida Lottery scratch-off card and etched his way into a life-changing, $10 million prize.
2014
Iowa Lottery officials track down $1 million winner. After six months of sleuthing, Iowa Lottery officials made contact with a man who'd won a $1 million Powerball prize back in November but didn't know it because he hadn't checked the ticket.
2013
Mega Millions multi-state lottery to get harder to win in Oct.. Come this fall, winning the multi-state Mega Millions lottery jackpot will become even more difficult in the 45 states and jurisdictions that offer the lotto game.
2012
Store owner tried to scam woman out of lottery winnings. A woman was almost scammed out of her lottery winnings by the convenience store where she bought the ticket, according to Louisiana Lottery officials.
2011
Lucky Md. lottery player wins again. On Wednesday, habitual lottery winner Joe Vaeth, Jr. picked up his largest prize to-date: $1 million, on a Mega Millions ticket played with the Megaplier.
2010
Mom, son split $22.5 million N.Y. Lotto jackpot. New York Lottery draw team members Yolanda Vega and Gretchen Dizer Wednesday teamed up to present Lottery prize checks to Monroe County's newest Lottery millionaires, including the winners of the March 27th Lotto jackpot worth $22,500,000.
2010
Arkansas Lottery needs vending machines, Director says. For the Arkansas lottery to increase revenue from year to year, the lottery's director told commissioners Wednesday that they will have to approve the use of ticket-vending machines.
2009
Alaska lottery assault leads to 3-year sentence. The man accused of attacking the winner of Alaska's biggest lottery with a metal pipe or rod pleaded guilty this week to a reduced charge of second-degree assault, a prosecutor said.
2009
Winning Powerball lottery ticket expiring soon. A $400,000 winning Powerball ticket from the May 28, 2008 — purchased in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania — remains unclaimed.
2009
Indiana woman claims $2.5 million Lotto jackpot. A woman from Summitville, Indiana, claimed a $2.5 million jackpot after she matched all six numbers in the May 9, 2009 Hoosier Lotto drawing.
2008
Calif. Lottery may build $60 million headquarters. California lottery officials are thinking about building a new $60 million headquarters despite a massive state budget deficit, but officials say the new building would be smaller and less expensive to operate.
2008
4 charged in killing of $250,000 lottery winner in Ohio. Burglars returned again and again to the home of a $250,000 Ohio Lottery winner who had two Jaguars, a Rolex watch and lots of cash. The final intrusion, apparently by different criminals, left the 78-year-old retired stockbroker dead of a gunshot wound.
2008
California Lottery revenues dip. California Lottery officials on Tuesday lowered revenue estimates for the year by $275 million, just as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested the state could double sales in a decade.
2008
Teen wins $35 million Powerball lottery jackpot. Jonathan Vargas turns 20 in July. But he relied on the ages of close relatives instead of his own when he picked the six winning numbers for Saturday's $35.3 million Powerball jackpot.
2005
Education at the center of N.C. lottery debate. As the North Carolina Senate continues debate on a state lottery, education remains the central focus of contention and compromise.
2005
Kansas Lottery Re-tools eScratch Game. The Kansas Lottery reworked its year-old eScratch instant game after sales were found to be lackluster.
2005
Birthdays Pay Off Big For Tampa Man. A Florida handyman took a one-time lump sum payment of $342,244.50 after winning the May 13 drawing of Mega Money using birthdays to choose his numbers.
2005
Busy lottery winner finally takes a break and claims jackpot. The man who called lottery officials last week and told them he was too busy working to collect his $56 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot finally showed up Thursday at the California Lottery's Santa Fe Springs district office, nearly two weeks after his win.
2005
Lottery scam victimizes Colorado woman. A Colorado woman is wired $3,900 to scam artists, thinking that she was paying the taxes on a lottery prize.
2005
New Hamshire budget closely linked to lottery luck. If someone won Wednesday night's Powerball jackpot, New Hampshire's tight state budget would be the big loser, according to the chairman of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.
2005
Ohio Lottery could be hurt by casinos. Lottery sales and Bingo revenue fell in Ohio counties nearest out-of-state casinos, raising concerns about the economic impact of such casinos coming to Ohio, according to a newspaper analysis.
2005
Store owner accused of stealing lottery ticket. Police in North Andover, Massachusetts are pressing charges against Patrick Simboli, alleging that he stole a customer's winning lottery ticket, worth $32,000 after taxes.
2004
$55 Million: NY Lotto Jackpot Keeps Rolling. Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's New York Lotto drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $55 million.
2004
Powerball lottery jackpot raised to $33 million. Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $33 million, with a cash option of $16.7 million.
2004
Maryland Seniors Win $175,000 Mega Millions Lottery Prize. The Maryland Lottery announced Tuesday afternoon that "a lively group of senior citizens" collected their $175,000 prize from last Friday's Mega Millions game.
2004
Maryland Lottery Adds Sunday Drawings. The Maryland lottery is adding Sunday afternoon drawings for the first time in its 31-year history.
2004
Canada to change Lotto 6/49. Canada's Lotto 6/49 is going for gold with bigger jackpots and better chances of winning. Starting May 30, the first major changes in the game's 22-year history will take effect.
2004
Experts advise to take cash option. Finance 101 for lottery winners: Take the cash, advisers say. Annuities could be a bad bet.
2004
Penn. Lottery unveils self-service ticket machines. Lottery players throughout Pennsylvania will soon be able to play the Pennsylvania Lottery's online and instant games using state-of-the-art, touch screen terminals.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$516 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 21, 2021
2.$421 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 21, 2024
3.$367 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 21, 2019
4.$298 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 22, 2020
5.$288 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2019
6.$228 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 20, 2017
7.$219.9 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2021
8.€207.72 Million
US$219.31 Million
Draw Date
May 21, 2022
9.$194 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 22, 2015
10.€154.94 Million
US$189.29 Million
Draw Date
May 20, 2021
11.$187 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 20, 2016
12.$175 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 20, 1998
13.€155.5 Million
US$173.51 Million
Draw Date
May 21, 2019
14.$170 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 22, 2010
14.$170 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 20, 2009
16.$168.6 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 20, 2023
17.$155 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2005
18.$150 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 23, 2023
19.$149 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 20, 2014
20.$131 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
May 20, 2022
21.€116 Million
US$130.06 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
May 23, 2017
22.$121 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 20, 2015
23.$120 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2011
24.$117.3 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
May 21, 2022
25.€110.21 Million
US$116.43 Million
Multi-Country
EuroJackpot
Draw Date
May 20, 2022

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1994
Friday, May 20, 1994
30 years old
1991
Monday, May 20, 1991
33 years old
1980
Tuesday, May 20, 1980
44 years old
1974
Monday, May 20, 1974
50 years old
1973
Sunday, May 20, 1973
51 years old
1970
Wednesday, May 20, 1970
54 years old
1966
Friday, May 20, 1966
58 years old
1961
Saturday, May 20, 1961
63 years old
1955
Friday, May 20, 1955
69 years old
1953
Wednesday, May 20, 1953
71 years old
(year not provided)
(year not provided)
(year not provided)
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2022
Russo-Ukrainian War: Russia claims full control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
2019
The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.
2016
The government of Singapore authorised the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a Chinese construction worker despite the international pleas for clemency, notably from Amnesty International and the United Nations.
2013
An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
2012
At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
2011
Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post.
2002
The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
1996
Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
1990
The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
1989
The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
1985
Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
1983
First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by a team of French scientists including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Jean-Claude Chermann, and Luc Montagnier.
1983
Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by UMkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
1980
In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, by 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
1971
In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.
1969
The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
1967
The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
1965
One hundred twenty-one people are killed when Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashes at Cairo International Airport.
1964
Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
1956
In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
1949
In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
1948
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek wins the 1948 Republic of China presidential election and is sworn in as the first President of the Republic of China at Nanjing.
1943
The Luttra Woman, a bog body from the Early Neolithic period (radiocarbon-dated c. 3928-3651 BC), was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
1941
World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete.
1940
The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
1932
Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
1927
Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
1927
Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, landing 33+12 hours later.
1902
Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.
1891
History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope.
1883
Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
1882
The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
1875
Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.
1873
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
1864
American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church: In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
1862
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening eighty-four million acres (340,000 km) of public land to settlers.
1861
American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
1813
Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
1802
By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
1775
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is allegedly signed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1741
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
1714
Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata for Pentecost, Erschallet, ihr Lieder, BWV 172, at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.
1645
Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of 800,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.
1631
The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years' War.
1609
Shakespeare's sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
1570
Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.
1521
Ignatius of Loyola is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pampeluna.
1520
Hernan Cortés defeats Pánfilo de Narváez, sent by Spain to punish him for insubordination.
1498
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
1497
John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
1449
The Battle of Alfarrobeira is fought, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.
1426
King Mohnyin Thado formally ascends to the throne of Ava.
1293
King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Estudio de Escuelas de Generales in Alcalá de Henares.
1217
The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
794
While visiting the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia is taken captive and beheaded.
685
The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
491
Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery.
325
The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.

Births On This Day

1998
Jamie Chadwick, English race car driver
1998
Nam Nguyen, Canadian figure skater
1996
Brian Kelly, Australian rugby league player
1993
Ramy Rabia, Egyptian footballer
1993
Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
1992
Cate Campbell, Malawian-Australian swimmer
1992
Jack Gleeson, Irish actor
1992
Enes Kanter, Turkish basketball player
1992
Fanny Smith, Swiss freestyle skier
1991
Bastian Baker, Swiss singer, songwriter, and performer
1991
Emre Colak, Turkish footballer
1989
Siosia Vave, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
1988
Joel Moon, Australian rugby league player
1987
Mike Havenaar, Japanese footballer
1987
Julian Wright, American basketball player
1986
Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
1986
Stéphane Mbia, Cameroonian footballer
1986
Jiřina Svobodová, Czech pole vaulter
1985
Chris Froome, Kenyan-English cyclist
1985
Brendon Goddard, Australian footballer
1984
Mauro Rafael da Silva, Brazilian footballer
1984
Patrick Ewing Jr., American basketball player
1984
Keith Grennan, American football player
1983
Óscar Cardozo, Paraguayan footballer
1983
Matt Langridge, English rower
1982
Petr Čech, Czech footballer
1982
Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer
1982
Jessica Raine, English actress
1982
Daniel Ribeiro, Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter
1981
Iker Casillas, Spanish footballer
1981
Rachel Platten, American singer and songwriter
1981
Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
1981
Mark Winterbottom, Australian race car driver
1980
Austin Kearns, American baseball player
1980
Kassim Osgood, American football player
1979
Andrew Scheer, Canadian politician, 28th Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
1979
Jayson Werth, American baseball player
1978
Hristos Banikas, Greek chess player
1978
Pavla Hamáčková-Rybová, Czech pole vaulter
1978
Nils Schumann, German runner
1977
Matt Czuchry, American actor
1977
Leo Franco, Argentinian footballer
1977
Angela Goethals, American actress
1977
Stirling Mortlock, Australian rugby player
1977
Vesa Toskala, Finnish ice hockey player
1976
Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
1976
Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
1975
Juan Minujín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
1974
Allison Amend, American novelist and short story writer
1974
Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actor
1973
Nathan Long, Australian rugby league player
1972
Michael Diamond, Australian shooter
1972
Christophe Dominici, French rugby player (d. 2020)
1972
Busta Rhymes, American rapper, producer, and actor
1971
Šárka Kašpárková, Czech triple jumper and coach
1971
Tony Stewart, American race car driver
1970
Terrell Brandon, American basketball player
1970
Louis Theroux, Singaporean-English journalist and producer
1969
Road Dogg, American wrestler, producer, and soldier
1968
Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer
1967
Graham Brady, English politician
1967
Gabriele Muccino, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter
1966
Dan Abrams, American journalist and author
1965
Ted Allen, American television host and author
1965
Stu Grimson, Canadian ice hockey player, sportscaster, and lawyer
1964
Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
1964
Edin Osmanović, Slovenian footballer, coach, and manager
1964
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author
1963
David Wells, American baseball player and sportscaster
1961
Clive Allen, English international footballer and manager
1961
Nick Heyward, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1960
Tony Goldwyn, American actor and director
1959
Susan Cowsill, American singer-songwriter
1958
Ron Reagan, American journalist and radio host
1958
Jane Wiedlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1957
Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese lawyer and politician, 62nd Prime Minister of Japan
1956
Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian-German author and critic
1956
Gerry Peyton, English born Irish international footballer and coach
1956
Douglas Preston, American journalist and author
1955
Steve George, American keyboard player and songwriter
1955
Zbigniew Preisner, Polish composer and producer
1954
David Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New York
1954
Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway, Scottish lawyer and judge
1953
Robert Doyle, Australian educator and politician, 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne
1952
Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer and manager
1952
Michael Wills, English politician, British Minister of Justice
1951
Thomas Akers, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
1951
Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (d. 2020)
1951
Mike Crapo, American lawyer and politician
1950
Andy Johns, English-American engineer and producer (d. 2013)
1950
Reinaldo Merlo, Argentinian footballer and coach
1950
Jane Parker-Smith, English organist (d. 2020)
1949
Robert Morin, Canadian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
1949
Michèle Roberts, English author and poet
1949
Dave Thomas, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1947
Steve Currie, English bass player (d. 1981)
1947
Greg Dyke, English journalist and academic
1946
Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1946
Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
1945
Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian intelligence officer
1944
Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
1944
Boudewijn de Groot, Indonesian-Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
1944
Keith Fletcher, English cricketer and manager
1944
Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman, co-founder of Red Bull GmbH (d. 2022)
1943
Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
1943
Deryck Murray, Trinidadian cricketer
1942
Raymond Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
1942
Lynn Davies, Welsh sprinter and long jumper
1942
Carlos Hathcock, American sergeant and sniper (d. 1999)
1942
Frew McMillan, South African tennis player
1941
Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
1941
John Strasberg, American actor and teacher
1940
Shorty Long, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1969)
1940
Stan Mikita, Slovak-Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2018)
1940
Sadaharu Oh, Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager
1939
Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1937
Dave Hill, American golfer (d. 2011)
1937
Derek Lampe, English footballer
1936
Anthony Zerbe, American actor
1935
José Mujica, Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay
1933
Constance Towers, American actress and singer
1931
Ken Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 1982)
1931
Louis Smith, American trumpeter (d. 2016)
1930
Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
1929
Pedro Trebbau, German-born Venezuelan zoologist (d. 2021)
1929
Gilles Loiselle, Canadian politician and diplomat, 33rd Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 2022)
1927
Bud Grant, American football player and coach (d. 2023)
1927
David Hedison, American actor (d. 2019)
1927
Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (d. 2016)
1926
Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d. 1956)
1925
Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (d. 2001)
1924
David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (d. 2014)
1924
Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (d. 1976)
1923
Edith Fellows, American actress (d. 2011)
1923
Sam Selvon, Trinidad-born writer (d. 1994)
1922
Ted Hinton, Northern Irish international footballer (d. 1988)
1921
Wolfgang Borchert, German author and playwright (d. 1947)
1921
Hal Newhouser, American baseball player and scout (d. 1998)
1921
Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (d. 1995)
1920
John Cruickshank, Scottish lieutenant and banker, Victoria Cross recipient
1919
George Gobel, American comedian (d. 1991)
1918
Alexandra Boyko, Russian tank commander (d. 1996)
1918
Edward B. Lewis, American biologist, geneticist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
1917
Tony Cliff, Israeli-English author and activist (d. 2000)
1917
Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1967)
1916
Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
1916
Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (d. 2001)
1916
Ondina Valla, Italian sprinter and hurdler (d. 2006)
1915
Peter Copley, English actor (d. 2008)
1915
Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician, 5th Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1981)
1915
Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
1913
Teodoro Fernández, Peruvian footballer (d. 1996)
1913
William Redington Hewlett, American engineer, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (d. 2001)
1913
Carlos J. Gradin, Argentine Archaeologist (d. 2002)
1911
Gardner Fox, American author (d. 1986)
1911
Annie M. G. Schmidt, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1995)
1908
Henry Bolte, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (d. 1990)
1908
Louis Daquin, French actor and director (d. 1980)
1908
Francis Raymond Fosberg, American botanist and author (d. 1993)
1908
James Stewart, American actor (d. 1997)
1907
Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (d. 2004)
1906
Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (d. 1989)
1904
Margery Allingham, English author of detective fiction (d. 1966)
1901
Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, mathematician, and author (d. 1981)
1901
Doris Fleeson, American journalist (d. 1970)
1900
Sumitranandan Pant, Indian poet and author (d. 1977)
1899
Aleksandr Deyneka, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1969)
1899
John Marshall Harlan II, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1971)
1898
Eduard Ole, Estonian painter (d. 1995)
1897
Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish economist and author (d. 1983)
1897
Malcolm Nokes, English hammer and discus thrower (d. 1986)
1895
R. J. Mitchell, English engineer, designed the Supermarine Spitfire and Supermarine S.6B (d. 1937)
1894
Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian guru and scholar (d. 1994)
1886
Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded the Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
1883
Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
1882
Sigrid Undset, Danish-Norwegian novelist, essayist, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
1879
Hans Meerwein, German chemist (d. 1965)
1877
Pat Leahy, Irish-American jumper (d. 1927)
1875
Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (d. 1953)
1860
Eduard Buchner, German chemist, zymologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
1856
Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. 1910)
1854
George Prendergast, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Victoria (d. 1937)
1851
Emile Berliner, German-American inventor, invented the Gramophone record (d. 1929)
1838
Jules Méline, French lawyer and politician, 65th Prime Minister of France (d. 1925)
1830
Hector Malot, French author (d. 1907)
1825
Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the U.S. (d. 1921)
1824
Cadmus M. Wilcox, Confederate States Army general (d. 1890)
1822
Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
1818
William Fargo, American businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1881)
1811
Alfred Domett, English-New Zealand poet and politician, 4th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1887)
1806
John Stuart Mill, English economist, civil servant, and philosopher (d. 1873)
1799
Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (d. 1850)
1795
Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (d. 1854)
1776
Simon Fraser, American-Canadian fur trader and explorer (d. 1862)
1772
Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, English inventor and politician, developed Congreve rockets (d. 1828)
1769
Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1835)
1759
William Thornton, Virgin Islander-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1828)
1726
Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (d. 1770)
1664
Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor and architect (d. 1714)
1575
Robert Heath, English judge and politician (d. 1649)
1537
Hieronymus Fabricius, Italian anatomist (d. 1619)
1531
Thado Minsaw of Ava, Viceroy of Ava (d. 1584)
1505
Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer (d. 1568)
1470
Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (d. 1547)
1315
Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II of France (d. 1349)

Deaths On This Day

2022
Roger Angell, American sportswriter and author (b. 1920)
2022
Susan Roces, Filipino actress (b. 1941)
2021
Gary Wilson, American anti-pornography activist (b. 1956)
2019
Niki Lauda, Austrian race car driver (b. 1949)
2016
Kho Jabing, Malaysian convicted murderer who was executed by hanging in Singapore (b. 1984)
2015
Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
2015
Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (b. 1940)
2014
Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (b. 1944)
2014
Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1934)
2014
Robyn Denny, English-French painter (b. 1930)
2014
Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
2014
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (b. 1933)
2014
Barbara Murray, English actress (b. 1929)
2013
Flavio Costantini, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
2013
Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1924)
2013
Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (b. 1947)
2013
Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
2013
Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1939)
2013
Denys Roberts, English judge and politician (b. 1923)
2013
Zach Sobiech, American singer-songwriter (b. 1995)
2012
Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (b. 1923)
2012
Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1949)
2012
David Littman, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1933)
2012
Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist (b. 1953)
2012
Eugene Polley, American engineer, invented the remote control (b. 1915)
2012
Andrew B. Steinberg, American lawyer (b. 1958)
2011
Randy Savage, American wrestler and actor (b. 1952)
2009
Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect and urban planner, designed Roy Thomson Hall (b. 1924)
2009
Lucy Gordon, American actress and model (b. 1980)
2009
Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
2008
Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
2007
Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (b. 1914)
2005
Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (b. 1913)
2005
William Seawell, American general (b. 1918)
2002
Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, biologist, and academic (b. 1941)
2001
Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1920)
2000
Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (b. 1922)
2000
Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (b. 1970)
2000
Yevgeny Khrunov, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
1998
Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (b. 1916)
1996
Jon Pertwee, English actor, portrayed the Third Doctor (b. 1919)
1995
Les Cowie, Australian rugby league player (b. 1925)
1989
John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
1989
Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (b. 1946)
1976
Syd Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1911)
1976
Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan journalist and politician (b. 1924)
1976
Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, Uruguayan politician (b. 1934)
1975
Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor and lithographer (b. 1903)
1973
Renzo Pasolini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1938)
1973
Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
1971
Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (b. 1904)
1964
Rudy Lewis, American singer (b. 1936)
1962
Timothy (Szretter), a Polish Orthodox clergyman, the third Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland (b. 1901)
1961
Josef Priller, German colonel and pilot (b. 1915)
1956
Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist (b. 1872)
1956
Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer and trainer (b. 1881)
1949
Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop and politician, 137th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1891)
1947
Philipp Lenard, Slovak-German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
1947
Georgios Siantos, Greek sergeant and politician (b. 1890)
1946
Jacob Ellehammer, Danish pilot and engineer (b. 1871)
1942
Hector Guimard, French Architect (b. 1867)
1940
Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
1931
Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (b. 1831)
1925
Joseph Howard, Maltese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1862)
1924
Bogd Khan, Mongolian ruler (c. 1869)
1917
Valentine Fleming, Scottish soldier and politician (b. 1887)
1917
Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
1909
Ernest Hogan, American actor and composer (b. 1859)
1896
Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (b. 1819)
1880
Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse and philanthropist (b. 1814)
1873
George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (b. 1814)
1864
John Clare, English poet (b. 1793)
1841
Joseph Blanco White, Spanish poet and theologian (b. 1775)
1834
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (b. 1757)
1812
Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (b. 1732)
1793
Charles Bonnet, Swiss botanist and biologist (b. 1720)
1782
William Emerson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1701)
1732
Thomas Boston, Scottish author and educator (b. 1676)
1722
Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1669)
1717
John Trevor, Welsh lawyer and politician, 102nd Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1637)
1713
Thomas Sprat, English bishop (b. 1635)
1677
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, Spanish-English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1612)
1648
Władysław IV Vasa, Polish son of Sigismund III Vasa (b. 1595)
1645
Shi Kefa, Chinese general and calligrapher (b. 1601)
1622
Osman II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1604)
1579
Isabella Markham, English courtier (b. 1527)
1550
Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1510)
1506
Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer, early European explorer of the Americas (b. 1451)
1503
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1463)
1501
Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican tertiary Religious Sister (b. 1467)
1449
Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches
1449
Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra (b. 1392)
1444
Bernardino of Siena, Italian-Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1380)
1366
Maria of Calabria, Empress of Constantinople (b. 1329)
1291
Sufi Saint Sayyid Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
1285
John I of Cyprus (b. 1259)
1277
Pope John XXI (b. 1215)
1062
Bao Zheng, Chinese magistrate and mayor of Kaifeng (b. 999)
965
Gero the Great, Saxon ruler (b.c. 900)
794
Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia
685
Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b. 645)