April 13

April 13 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

April 13 is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 262 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
• 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
• 1613 – Samuel Argall captures Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia to ransom her for some English prisoners held by her father; she is brought to Henricus as hostage.
• 1699 – Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Sikh Guru, Created Khalsa on this day at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.
• 1742 – George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
• 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
• 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
• 1849 – Hungary becomes a republic.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
• 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
• 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
• 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 African Americans are murdered, takes place.
• 1902 – James C. Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
• 1909 – The Turkish military reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
• 1919 – The establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
• 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British troops gun down at least 379 unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar, India; at least 1200 are wounded.
• 1919 – Eugene V. Debs is imprisoned at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, for speaking out against the draft during World War I.
• 1941 – A Pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
• 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London from the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
• 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth.
• 1944 – Diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
• 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna, Austria.
• 1948 – The Hadassah medical convoy massacre: In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital and a British soldier are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarra near Jerusalem.
• 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
• 1958 – Cold War: American Van Cliburn wins the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
• 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world's first satellite navigation system.
• 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
• 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon.
• 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
• 1974 – Western Union (in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft) launches the United States' first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1.
• 1975 – Bus massacre in Lebanon: An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
• 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson's 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
• 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
• 1984 – India moves into Siachen Glacier thus annexing more territory from the Line of Control.
• 1987 – Portugal and the People's Republic of China sign an agreement in which Macau would be returned to China in 1999.
• 1992 – The Great Chicago flood devastates much of central Chicago.
• 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
• 2014 – A bus traveling from Villahermosa to Mexico City crashes into a tractor-trailer and catches fire, killing at least 36 people.

Births

• 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
• 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
• 1519 – Catherine de' Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
• 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (d. 1606)
• 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
• 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
• 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
• 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
• 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
• 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
• 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
• 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
• 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
• 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
• 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
• 1771 – Richard Trevithick, English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
• 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
• 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
• 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
• 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
• 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
• 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
• 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
• 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
• 1825 – Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
• 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
• 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
• 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
• 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
• 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
• 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
• 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
• 1860 – James Ensor, Belgian painter (d. 1949)
• 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
• 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1935)
• 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
• 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
• 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
• 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
• 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
• 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
• 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
• 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
• 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
• 1887 – Peter Ratican, American soccer player (d. 1922)
• 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
• 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
• 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
• 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
• 1891 – Nella Larsen, American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
• 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
• 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
• 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented the Radar (d. 1973)
• 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
• 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
• 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
• 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
• 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
• 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
• 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
• 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and academic (d. 1981)
• 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
• 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French race car driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
• 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
• 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
• 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
• 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
• 1909 – Stanislaw Ulam, Ukrainian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1984)
• 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
• 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
• 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
• 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
• 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
• 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
• 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
• 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Madalyn Murray O'Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
• 1919 – Phil Tonken, American voice actor and producer (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
• 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland
• 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
• 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
• 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian educator and politician, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
• 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
• 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
• 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
• 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
• 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
• 1924 – Stanley Donen, American director and choreographer
• 1925 – Michael Halliday, English linguist
• 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
• 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English-American philosopher, theologian, and author
• 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
• 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
• 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
• 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian race car driver and businessman (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer
• 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer
• 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
• 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
• 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
• 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1935 – Lyle Waggoner, American actor and former model
• 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
• 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
• 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
• 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
• 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
• 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor, singer, and director
• 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English race car driver (d. 1988)
• 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer-songwriter
• 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, Romanian composer and conductor
• 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, French author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
• 1940 – Max Mosley, English race car driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering
• 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
• 1942 – Ataol Behramoğlu Turkish poet and author
• 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
• 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
• 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
• 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
• 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
• 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
• 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass player
• 1944 – Susan Davis, American social worker and politician
• 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
• 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
• 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
• 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
• 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
• 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
• 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
• 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
• 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
• 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
• 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
• 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician
• 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
• 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian race car driver
• 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor and producer
• 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1950 – William Sadler, American actor
• 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
• 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
• 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
• 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
• 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
• 1952 – Jonjo O'Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
• 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
• 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
• 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
• 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
• 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
• 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
• 1955 – Hideki Saijo, Japanese singer
• 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
• 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand race car driver (d. 2003)
• 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
• 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
• 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
• 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
• 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
• 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician
• 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
• 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
• 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
• 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
• 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
• 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
• 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
• 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
• 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
• 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
• 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
• 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
• 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
• 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
• 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
• 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
• 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
• 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
• 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1973 – Bokeem Woodbine, American actor and producer
• 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
• 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
• 1974 – Darren Turner, English race car driver
• 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
• 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
• 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
• 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
• 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
• 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
• 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Nick Garrett, English singer
• 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
• 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
• 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
• 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
• 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
• 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
• 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
• 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1980 – Kelli Giddish, American actress
• 1980 – Kyle Howard, American actor and screenwriter
• 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
• 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, Latvian-American actor, director, and producer
• 1980 – Wayne Purser, English footballer
• 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
• 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
• 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
• 1981 – Bryan Scott, American football player
• 1982 – Janice Vidal, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1982 – Jill Vidal, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
• 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
• 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
• 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
• 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
• 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
• 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
• 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
• 1985 – Kerim Zengin, Turkish footballer
• 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
• 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
• 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
• 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
• 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
• 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
• 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
• 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
• 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
• 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
• 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
• 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
• 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player

Deaths

• 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
• 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
• 814 – Krum, Bulgarian ruler
• 862 – Donald I, Scottish king (b. 812)
• 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
• 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
• 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
• 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
• 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
• 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
• 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
• 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
• 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
• 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
• 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
• 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
• 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
• 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
• 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
• 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
• 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
• 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
• 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
• 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
• 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
• 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
• 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
• 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
• 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
• 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
• 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
• 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
• 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
• 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
• 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
• 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
• 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
• 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
• 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
• 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
• 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
• 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
• 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
• 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
• 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
• 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
• 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
• 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
• 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
• 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
• 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
• 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
• 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
• 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
• 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
• 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1956)
• 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
• 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
• 1984 – Richard Hurndall, English actor (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
• 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
• 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
• 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
• 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
• 1996 – James Burke, American gangster (b. 1931)
• 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
• 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
• 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
• 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
• 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian-Swedish wrestler (b. 1903)
• 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
• 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
• 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
• 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
• 2001 – Jimmy Logan, Scottish actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
• 2002 – Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish race car driver (b. 1928)
• 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
• 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
• 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
• 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
• 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Don Selwyn, New Zealand actor and director (b. 1935)
• 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
• 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
• 2009 – Harry Kalas, American sportscaster (b. 1936)
• 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
• 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
• 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
• 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
• 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
• 2013 – Ian Henderson, Scottish-Kenyan police officer (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
• 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
• 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
• 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
• 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
• 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Hermenegild
  • Pope Martin I
  • April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Jefferson's Birthday (United States)
• Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
• New Year festivals in South and Southeast Asian cultures. (see April 14)
• Teacher's Day (Ecuador)
• Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History