October 12
Events
Pre-1600
1601–1900
1901–present
- 1901 - President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the "Executive Mansion" to the White House.
- 1909 - Foundation of Coritiba Foot Ball Club.
- 1915 - World War I: British nurse Edith Cavell is executed by a German firing squad for helping Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium.
- 1917 - World War I: The First Battle of Passchendaele takes place resulting in the largest single-day loss of life in New Zealand history.
- 1918 - A massive forest fire kills 453 people in Minnesota.
- 1928 - An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Boston Children's Hospital.
- 1933 - The military Alcatraz Citadel becomes the civilian Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
- 1944 - World War II: The Axis occupation of Athens comes to an end.
- 1945 - World War II: Desmond Doss is the first conscientious objector to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor.
- 1945 - The Lao Issara took control of Laos' government and reaffirmed the country's independence.
- 1959 - At the national congress of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance in Peru, a group of leftist radicals are expelled from the party who later form APRA Rebelde.
- 1960 - Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev pounds his shoe on a desk at the United Nations to protest a Philippine assertion.
- 1962 - The Columbus Day Storm strikes the U.S. Pacific Northwest with record wind velocities. There was at least U.S. $230 million in damages and 46 people died.
- 1963 - After nearly 23 years of imprisonment, Reverend Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit missionary, was released from the Soviet Union.
- 1964 - The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew, and the first flight without pressure suits.
- 1967 - A bomb explodes on board Cyprus Airways Flight 284 while flying over the Mediterranean Sea, killing 66.
- 1968 - Equatorial Guinea becomes independent from Spain.
- 1970 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization continues as President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will withdraw 40,000 more troops before Christmas.
- 1971 - The 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire begins.
- 1973 - President Nixon nominates House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford as the successor to Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.
- 1976 - Indian Airlines Flight 171 crashes at Santacruz Airport in Bombay, India, killing 95.
- 1977 - Hua Guofeng succeeds Mao Zedong as paramount leader of China.
- 1979 - Typhoon Tip becomes the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded.
- 1983 - Japan's former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei is found guilty of taking a $2 million bribe from the Lockheed Corporation, and is sentenced to four years in jail.
- 1984 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army fail to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. The bomb kills five people and wounds at least 31 others.
- 1988 - Two officers of the Victoria Police are gunned down execution-style in the Walsh Street police shootings, Australia.
- 1992 - A 5.8 earthquake occurred in Cairo, Egypt. At least 510 died.
- 1994 - The Magellan spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere of Venus.
- 1994 - Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 746 crashes near Natanz, Iran, killing all 66 people on board.
- 1996 - New Zealand holds its 1996 [New Zealand general election|first general election] under the new mixed-member proportional representation system, which led to Jim Bolger's National Party forming a coalition government with Winston Peters's New Zealand First.
- 1997 - The Sidi Daoud massacre in Algeria kills 43 people at a fake roadblock.
- 1999 - Pervez Musharraf takes power in Pakistan from Nawaz Sharif through a bloodless coup.
- 1999 - The former Autonomous Soviet Republic of Abkhazia declares its independence from Georgia.
- 2000 - The USS Cole, a US Navy destroyer, is badly damaged by two al-Qaeda suicide bombers, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
- 2002 - Terrorists detonate bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 and wounding over 200.
- 2005 - The second Chinese human spaceflight, Shenzhou 6, is launched, carrying two cosmonauts in orbit for five days.
- 2010 - The Finnish Yle TV2 channel's Ajankohtainen kakkonen current affairs program airs controversial Homoilta episode, which leads to the resignation of almost 50,000 Finns from the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- 2012 - The European Union wins the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
- 2013 - An apartment building collapse in Medellín, Colombia results in the deaths of twelve people.
- 2017 - The United States announces its decision to withdraw from UNESCO. Israel immediately follows.
- 2018 - Princess Eugenie marries Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
- 2019 - Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan, killing 10 and forcing the evacuation of one million people.
- 2019 - Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya becomes the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours with a time of 1:59:40 in Vienna.
- 2019 - The Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, which is under construction, collapses, killing three workers and injuring 30 others.
- 2022 - 2022 Bratislava shooting, killing 3 and injuring one. The shooting occurred outside of a gay bar in Bratislava known as Tepláreň. Two people died as a result of the shooting: Juraj Vankulič, a non-binary person, and Matúš Horváth, a bisexual man. The perpetrator was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot the morning after the attack.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1008 - Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan
- 1240 - Trần Thánh Tông, emperor of Vietnam
- 1350 - Dmitri Donskoi, Grand Duke of Moscow
- 1490 - Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer and priest
- 1533 - Asakura Yoshikage, Japanese ruler
- 1537 - Edward VI, king of England
- 1555 - Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, English diplomat
- 1558 - Maximilian III, archduke of Austria
- 1559 - Jacques Sirmond, French scholar and Jesuit
- 1576 - Thomas Dudley, English-American soldier and politician, 3rd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
1601–1900
- 1602 - William Chillingworth, English scholar and theologian
- 1614 - Henry More, English philosopher
- 1687 - Sylvius Leopold Weiss, German lute player and composer
- 1710 - Jonathan Trumbull, American colonel and politician, 16th Governor of Connecticut
- 1725 - Étienne Louis Geoffroy, French pharmacist and entomologist
- 1792 - Christian Gmelin, German chemist and pharmacist
- 1798 - Pedro I, emperor of Brazil
- 1801 - Friedrich Frey-Herosé, Swiss lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1815 - William J. Hardee, American general
- 1826 - Kathinka Kraft, Norwegian memoirist
- 1838 - George Thorn, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Queensland
- 1840 - Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress
- 1855 - Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor and academic
- 1860 - Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American engineer and businessman, co-invented the gyrocompass
- 1864 - Kamini Roy, British India's first female graduate, Bengali poet, social activist, and feminist writer
- 1865 - Arthur Harden, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1866 - Ramsay MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1868 - August Horch, German engineer and businessman, founded Audi
- 1868 - Mariano Trías, Filipino general and politician, 1st Vice President of the Philippines
- 1872 - Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer and educator
- 1874 - Jimmy Burke, American baseball player and manager
- 1875 - Aleister Crowley, English magician and author
- 1878 - Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower
- 1880 - Louis Hémon, French-Canadian author
- 1880 - Kullervo Manner, Finnish Speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister of the FSWR and the Supreme Commander of the Red Guards
- 1889 - Dietrich von Hildebrand, German Catholic philosopher and author
- 1891 - Edith Stein, Polish nun and martyr; later canonized
- 1891 - Fumimaro Konoe, Japanese soldier and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1892 - Gilda dalla Rizza, Italian soprano and actress
- 1893 - Velvalee Dickinson, American spy
- 1894 - Elisabeth of Romania, queen consort of Greece
- 1896 - Eugenio Montale, Italian poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate
1901–present
- 1903 - Josephine Hutchinson, American actress
- 1904 - Lester Dent, American journalist and author
- 1904 - Anthony F. DePalma, American orthopedic surgeon and professor
- 1904 - Ding Ling, Chinese author and educator
- 1906 - Joe Cronin, American baseball player and manager
- 1906 - John Murray, American playwright and producer
- 1906 - Piero Taruffi, Italian race car driver and motorcycle racer
- 1908 - Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic
- 1908 - Ann Petry, American novelist
- 1909 - Dorothy Livesay, Canadian poet
- 1910 - Robert Fitzgerald, American poet, critic, and translator
- 1910 - Malcolm Renfrew, American chemist and academic
- 1911 - Vijay Merchant, Indian cricketer
- 1912 - Muhammad Shamsul Huq, Bangladeshi academic and former Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1913 - Alice Chetwynd Ley, English author and educator
- 1914 - John E. Hodge, African-American chemist
- 1916 - Alice Childress, American actress and playwright
- 1916 - Lock Martin, American actor
- 1917 - Roque Máspoli, Uruguayan footballer and manager
- 1917 - James Phillip McAuley, Australian Poet
- 1919 - Gilles Beaudoin, Canadian politician, 34th Mayor of Trois-Rivières
- 1919 - Doris Miller, American cook and soldier
- 1920 - Christopher Soames, English politician and diplomat, Governor of Southern Rhodesia
- 1920 – Steve Conway, British singer
- 1921 - Art Clokey, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor, created Gumby
- 1921 - Jaroslav Drobný, Czech-English tennis player and ice hockey player
- 1921 - Logie Bruce Lockhart, Scottish rugby player and journalist
- 1922 - William H. Sullivan, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines
- 1923 - Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers
- 1923 - Goody Petronelli, American boxer, trainer, and manager
- 1924 - Leonidas Kyrkos, Greek politician
- 1925 - Denis Lazure, Canadian psychiatrist and politician
- 1926 - Eliška Misáková, Czech gymnast
- 1928 - Al Held, American painter and academic
- 1928 - Domna Samiou, Greek singer and musicologist
- 1929 - Nappy Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter
- 1929 - Robert Coles, American psychologist, author, and academic
- 1929 - Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic journalist and academic
- 1930 - Denis Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player and photographer
- 1930 - Milica Kacin Wohinz, Slovenian historian and author
- 1931 - Ole-Johan Dahl, Norwegian computer scientist and academic, co-developed Simula
- 1932 - Dick Gregory, American comedian, actor, and author
- 1932 - Ned Jarrett, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1933 - Guido Molinari, Canadian painter and art collector
- 1934 - James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1934 - Richard Meier, American architect, designed the Getty Center and City Tower
- 1934 - Albert Shiryaev, Russian mathematician and academic
- 1934 - Oğuz Atay, Turkish engineer and author
- 1934 - Constantine Manos, Greek-born American photographer
- 1935 - Don Howe, English footballer and manager
- 1935 - Tony Kubek, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1935 - Sam Moore, American soul singer-songwriter
- 1935 - Shivraj Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence
- 1935 - Luciano Pavarotti, Italian tenor and actor
- 1937 - Paul Hawkins, Australian race car driver
- 1937 - Robert Mangold, American painter
- 1941 - Michael Mansfield, English lawyer, academic, and republican
- 1942 - Melvin Franklin, American soul bass singer
- 1943 - Kostas Tsakonas, Greek actor
- 1944 - Angela Rippon, English journalist and author
- 1945 - Aurore Clément, French actress
- 1945 - Dusty Rhodes, American wrestler
- 1946 - Drew Edmondson, American politician
- 1946 - Ashok Mankad, Indian cricketer
- 1946 - Daryl Runswick, English bassist and composer
- 1947 - Chris Wallace, American journalist
- 1948 - John Engler, American businessman and politician, 46th Governor of Michigan
- 1948 - Rick Parfitt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1949 - Dave Lloyd, English cyclist and coach
- 1949 - Carlos the Jackal, Venezuelan terrorist
- 1949 - Barclay Shaw, American artist
- 1949 - Paul Went, English footballer and manager
- 1950 - Susan Anton, American actress and model
- 1950 - Dave Freudenthal, American economist and politician, 31st Governor of Wyoming
- 1951 - Sally Little, South African-American golfer
- 1951 - Ed Royce, American businessman and politician
- 1951 - Norio Suzuki, Japanese golfer
- 1952 - Trevor Chappell, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1952 - Béla Csécsei, Hungarian educator and politician
- 1952 - Roger Heath-Brown, English mathematician and theorist
- 1953 - Les Dennis, English comedian and actor
- 1953 - David Threlfall, English actor and director
- 1954 - Evalie A. Bradley, Anguillian politician and member of the House of Assembly of Anguilla
- 1954 - Massimo Ghini, Italian actor
- 1954 - Michael Roe, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
- 1954 - Linval Thompson, Jamaican singer and producer
- 1955 - Einar Jan Aas, Norwegian footballer
- 1955 - Pat DiNizio, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 - Ante Gotovina, Croatian general
- 1955 - Jane Siberry, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1956 - Rafael Ábalos, Spanish author
- 1956 - Allan Evans, Scottish footballer
- 1956 - Lutz Haueisen, German cyclist
- 1956 - Catherine Holmes, Australian judge
- 1956 - Gerti Schanderl, German figure skater
- 1956 - David Vanian, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 - Clémentine Célarié, French actress, singer, and director
- 1957 - Serge Clerc, French comic book artist and illustrator
- 1957 - Mike Dowler, Welsh football goalkeeper
- 1957 - Annik Honoré, Belgian journalist and music promoter
- 1957 - William F. Laurance, Australian biologist
- 1958 - Steve Austria, American lawyer and politician
- 1958 - Maria de Fátima Silva de Sequeira Dias, Portuguese historian, author, and academic
- 1958 - Jeff Keith, American rock singer-songwriter
- 1958 - Bryn Merrick, Welsh bass player
- 1959 - Anna Escobedo Cabral, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Treasurer of the United States
- 1960 - Steve Lowery, American golfer
- 1960 - Carlo Perrone, Italian footballer and manager
- 1960 - Hiroyuki Sanada, Japanese actor and martial artist
- 1960 - Dorothee Vieth, German Paralympic cyclist
- 1961 - Chendo, Spanish footballer
- 1962 - Carlos Bernard, American actor and director
- 1962 - Michelle Botes, South African actress
- 1962 - Chris Botti, American trumpet player and composer
- 1962 - John Coleman, English footballer and manager
- 1962 - Branko Crvenkovski, Macedonian engineer and politician, 3rd President of the Republic of Macedonia
- 1962 - Deborah Foreman, American actress and photographer
- 1962 - Mads Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
- 1963 - Raimond Aumann, German footballer
- 1963 - Hideki Fujisawa, Japanese composer
- 1963 - Satoshi Kon, Japanese animator and screenwriter
- 1963 - Dave Legeno, English actor and mixed martial artist
- 1963 - Alan McDonald, Irish footballer and manager
- 1963 - Luis Polonia, Dominican baseball player
- 1965 - Dan Abnett, English author
- 1965 - Chris Chandler, American football player
- 1965 - J. J. Daigneault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 - Scott O'Grady, American captain and pilot
- 1966 - Jonathan Crombie, Canadian actor and voice over artist
- 1966 - Wim Jonk, Dutch footballer
- 1966 - Brian Kennedy, Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 - Brenda Romero, American game designer
- 1967 - Becky Iverson, American golfer
- 1968 - Bill Auberlen, American race car driver
- 1968 - Paul Harragon, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1968 - Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer
- 1968 - Leon Lett, American football player
- 1968 - Adam Rich, American actor
- 1969 - Martie Maguire, American singer-songwriter, violinist, and producer
- 1969 - Željko Milinovič, Slovenian footballer
- 1969 - Dwayne Roloson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1969 - José Valentín, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1970 - Kirk Cameron, American actor, screenwriter, and Christian evangelical/anti-evolution activist
- 1970 - Patrick Musimu, Belgian diver and physiotherapist
- 1970 - Tanyon Sturtze, American baseball player
- 1970 - Charlie Ward, American basketball player and coach
- 1971 - Tony Fiore, American baseball player
- 1971 - Steve Johnston, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1971 - Bronzell Miller, American football player and actor
- 1972 - Juan Manuel Silva, Argentinian race car driver
- 1972 - Tom Van Mol, Belgian footballer
- 1973 - Lesli Brea, Dominican baseball player
- 1973 - Martin Corry, English rugby player
- 1974 - Stephen Lee, English snooker player
- 1975 - Susana Félix, Portuguese singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1975 - Marion Jones, American basketball player and runner
- 1975 - Randy Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Simon Bridges, New Zealand politician
- 1977 - Cristie Kerr, American golfer
- 1977 - Bode Miller, American skier
- 1977 - Javier Toyo, Venezuelan footballer
- 1978 - Stefan Binder, German footballer
- 1978 - Baden Cooke, Australian cyclist
- 1978 - Marko Jarić, Serbian basketball player
- 1979 - Steven Agnew, Northern Irish politician
- 1979 - Steve Borthwick, English rugby player and coach
- 1979 - Jordan Pundik, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 - Ledley King, English footballer
- 1980 - Ann Wauters, Belgian basketball player
- 1981 - Tom Guiry, American actor
- 1981 - Marcel Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1981 - Brian Kerr, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1981 - Giuseppe Lanzone, American rower
- 1981 - Brian J. Smith, American actor
- 1981 - Conrad Smith, New Zealand rugby player
- 1981 - Sun Tiantian, Chinese tennis player
- 1983 - Alex Brosque, Australian footballer
- 1983 - Carlton Cole, English footballer
- 1983 - Katie Piper, English philanthropist, broadcaster, and acid violence survivor
- 1983 - Mariko Yamamoto, Japanese cricketer
- 1985 - Michelle Carter, American shot putter
- 1985 - Mike Green, Canadian hockey player
- 1985 - Anna Iljuštšenko, Estonian high jumper
- 1985 - Greig Laidlaw, Scottish rugby player
- 1985 - Carl Söderberg, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1986 - Ioannis Maniatis, Greek footballer
- 1986 - Sergio Peter, German footballer
- 1986 - Cristhian Stuani, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986 - Tyler Blackburn, American actor
- 1987 - Marvin Ogunjimi, Belgian footballer
- 1988 - Sam Whitelock, New Zealand rugby player
- 1988 - Calum Scott, British singer
- 1989 - Anna Ohmiya, Japanese curler
- 1990 - Henri Lansbury, English footballer
- 1991 - Nicolao Dumitru, Italian footballer
- 1992 - Josh Hutcherson, American actor and producer
- 1993 - Ketel Marte, Dominican baseball player
- 1994 - Sean Monahan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1994 - Olivia Smoliga, American swimmer
- 1995 - Jessica Hogg, Welsh artistic gymnast
- 1996 - James Graham, British singer
- 1996 - Owen Watkin, Welsh rugby player
- 1997 - Curtis Scott, Australian rugby league player
- 1999 - Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Irish actor and musician
- 2000 - Jongho, South Korean singer and actor
- 2002 - Iris Apatow, American actress
- 2004 - Darci Lynne, American ventriloquist
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 322 BC - Demosthenes, Athenian statesman,
- 638 - Honorius I, pope of the Catholic Church
- 642 - John IV, pope of the Catholic Church
- 884 - Tsunesada, Japanese prince
- 974 - Al-Muti, Abbasid caliph
- 1095 - Leopold II, margrave of Austria
- 1152 - Adolf III of Berg, German nobleman
- 1176 - William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel, English politician
- 1320 - Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor
- 1328 - Clementia of Hungary, queen consort of France and Navarre
- 1448 - Zhu Quan, Chinese prince, historian and playwright
- 1491 - Fritz Herlen, German painter
- 1492 - Piero della Francesca, Italian mathematician and painter
- 1565 - Jean Ribault, French-American lieutenant and navigator
- 1576 - Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1590 - Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator
- 1600 - Luis de Molina, Spanish priest and philosopher
1601–1900
- 1601 - Nicholas Brend, English landowner
- 1632 - Kutsuki Mototsuna, Japanese commander
- 1646 - François de Bassompierre, French general and courtier
- 1654 - Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter
- 1678 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English lawyer and judge
- 1679 - William Gurnall, English minister, theologian, and author
- 1685 - Christoph Ignaz Abele, Austrian lawyer and jurist
- 1730 - Frederick IV, king of Denmark and Norway
- 1758 - Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, Irish field marshal and politician
- 1812 - Juan José Castelli, Argentinian lawyer and politician
- 1828 - Ioan Nicolidi of Pindus, Aromanian physician and noble
- 1845 - Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, Quaker and philanthropist
- 1858 - Hiroshige, Japanese painter
- 1870 - Robert E. Lee, American general
- 1875 - Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter
- 1896 - Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish lawyer and politician, 9th Council President of Denmark
- 1898 - Calvin Fairbank, American minister and activist
1901–present
- 1914 - Margaret E. Knight, American inventor
- 1915 - Edith Cavell, English nurse
- 1923 - Bunny Lucas, English cricketer
- 1924 - Anatole France, French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 - Edwin Abbott Abbott, English theologian and author
- 1933 - John Lister, English philanthropist and politician
- 1940 - Tom Mix, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 - Joseph Stilwell, American general
- 1948 - Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English psychologist and psychoanalyst
- 1954 - George Welch, American soldier and pilot
- 1956 - Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer and painter
- 1957 - Arie de Jong, Indonesian-Dutch linguist and physician
- 1958 - Gordon Griffith, American actor, director, and producer
- 1960 - Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese lawyer and politician
- 1965 - Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1967 - Ram Manohar Lohia, Indian activist and politician
- 1969 - Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater and actress
- 1969 - Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter and academic
- 1969 - Julius Saaristo, Finnish javelin thrower and soldier
- 1970 - Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, Russian-American illustrator and painter
- 1970 - Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani poet and academic
- 1971 - Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State
- 1971 - Gene Vincent, American musician
- 1972 - Robert Le Vigan, French-Argentinian actor and politician
- 1973 - Peter Aufschnaiter, Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer
- 1978 - Nancy Spungen, American figure of the 1970s punk rock scene
- 1984 - Anthony Berry, English politician
- 1985 - Johnny Olson, American radio host and game show announcer
- 1985 - Ricky Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 - Alf Landon, American lieutenant and politician, 26th Governor of Kansas
- 1987 - Fahri Korutürk, Turkish commander and politician, 6th President of Turkey
- 1988 - Ruth Manning-Sanders, Welsh-English poet and author
- 1988 - Coby Whitmore, American painter and illustrator
- 1989 - Jay Ward, American animator, producer, and screenwriter, founded Jay Ward Productions
- 1990 - Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician
- 1990 - Peter Wessel Zapffe, Norwegian physician, mountaineer, and author
- 1991 - Sheila Florance, Australian actress
- 1991 - Arkady Strugatsky, Russian author and translator
- 1991 - Regis Toomey, American actor
- 1993 - Leon Ames, American actor
- 1994 - Gérald Godin, Canadian journalist and politician
- 1996 - René Lacoste, French tennis player and fashion designer, co-founded Lacoste
- 1996 - Roger Lapébie, French cyclist
- 1997 - John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1998 - Mario Beaulieu, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1998 - Matthew Shepard, American murder victim
- 1999 - Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach
- 1999 - Robert Marsden Hope, Australian lawyer and judge
- 2001 - Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, English academic and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
- 2001 - Hikmet Şimşek, Turkish conductor
- 2001 - Richard Buckle, Ballet critic and writer
- 2002 - Ray Conniff, American bandleader and composer
- 2002 - Audrey Mestre, French biologist and diver
- 2002 – Hilaire du Berrier, American-French aviator, mercenary, and writer
- 2003 - Jim Cairns, Australian economist and politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 2003 - Joan Kroc, American philanthropist
- 2003 - Bill Shoemaker, American jockey
- 2005 - C. Delores Tucker, American activist and politician
- 2006 - Angelika Machinek, German glider pilot
- 2006 - Eugène Martin, French race car driver
- 2006 - Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian director and screenwriter
- 2006 - Carlo Acutis, Italian programmer, known for his devotion to the Eucharist
- 2007 - Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower
- 2008 - Karl Chircop, Maltese physician and politician
- 2009 - Dickie Peterson American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 2009 - Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian cyclist
- 2010 - Austin Ardill, Northern Irish soldier and politician
- 2010 - Woody Peoples, American football player
- 2010 - Belva Plain, American author
- 2011 - Patricia Breslin, American actress
- 2011 - Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist, created the C programming language
- 2012 - James Coyne, Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada
- 2012 - Norm Grabowski, American hot rod builder and actor
- 2012 - Sukhdev Singh Kang, Indian judge and politician, 14th Governor of Kerala
- 2012 - Torkom Manoogian, Iraqi-Armenian patriarch
- 2012 - Erik Moseholm, Danish bassist, composer, and bandleader
- 2012 - Břetislav Pojar, Czech animator, director, and screenwriter
- 2013 - George Herbig, American astronomer and academic
- 2013 - Oscar Hijuelos, American author and academic
- 2013 - Hans Wilhelm Longva, Norwegian diplomat
- 2013 - Malcolm Renfrew, American chemist and academic
- 2014 - Ali Mazrui, Kenyan-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic
- 2014 - Graham Miles, English snooker player
- 2014 - Roberto Telch, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 2015 - Abdallah Kigoda, Tanzanian politician, 8th Tanzanian Minister of Industry and Trade
- 2015 - Joan Leslie, American actress, dancer, and vaudevillian
- 2017 - Margarita D'Amico, Venezuelan journalist
- 2020 - Conchata Ferrell, American actress
- 2020 - Roberta McCain, American socialite and oil heiress
- 2023 - Luis Garavito, Colombian serial killer
- 2024 - Jackmaster, Scottish DJ and record producer
- 2024 - Ka, American rapper
- 2024 - Lilly Ledbetter, American activist
- 2024 - Tito Mboweni, South African politician
- 2024 - Alvin Rakoff, Canadian film and television director
- 2024 - Alex Salmond, Scottish economist and politician, First Minister of Scotland
- 2024 - Baba Siddique, Indian politician
- 2025 - Jackie Burch, American casting director
Holidays and observances