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August

August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.

In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August falls in the season of summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the month falls during the season of winter. In many European countries, August is the holiday month for most workers. Numerous religious holidays occurred during August in ancient Rome.

Certain meteor showers take place in August. The Kappa Cygnids take place in August, with the dates varying each year. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower takes place as early as July 10 and ends at around August 10, and the Southern Delta Aquariids take place from mid-July to mid-August, with the peak usually around July 28–29. The Perseids, a major meteor shower, typically takes place between July 17 and August 24, with the days of the peak varying yearly. The star cluster of Messier 30 is best observed around August.

Among the aborigines of the Canary Islands, especially among the Guanches of Tenerife, the month of August received in the name of Beñesmer or Beñesmen, which was also the harvest festival held this month.

The month was originally named Sextilis in Latin because it was the 6th month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, with March being the first month of the year. About 700 BC, it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in, giving it its modern length of 31 days.

In 8 BC, the month was renamed in honor of Emperor Augustus. According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt. Commonly repeated lore has it that August has 31 days because Augustus wanted his month to match the length of Julius Caesar's July, but this is an invention of the 13th century scholar Johannes de Sacrobosco. Sextilis in fact had 31 days before it was renamed, and it was not chosen for its length.

Symbols
August's birthstones are the peridot, sardonyx, and spinel. Its birth flower is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family. The Western zodiac signs are Leo (until August 22) and Virgo (from August 23 onward).

Observances
This list does not necessarily imply either official status or general observance.

Non-Gregorian: 2024 dates
(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)
 * List of observances set by the Bahá'í calendar
 * List of observances set by the Chinese calendar
 * List of observances set by the Hebrew calendar
 * List of observances set by the Islamic calendar
 * List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar

Month-long

 * American Adventures Month (celebrating vacationing in the Americas)
 * Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
 * Digestive Tract Paralysis (DTP) Month
 * Get Ready for Kindergarten Month
 * Happiness Happens Month
 * Month of Philippine Languages or Buwan ng Wika (Philippines)
 * Neurosurgery Outreach Month
 * Psoriasis Awareness Month
 * Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month
 * What Will Be Your Legacy Month

United States month-long

 * National Black Business Month
 * National Children's Vision and Learning Month
 * National Immunization Awareness Month
 * National Princess Peach Month
 * National Water Quality Month
 * National Win with Civility Month

Food months in the United States

 * National Catfish Month
 * National Dippin' Dots Month
 * Family Meals Month
 * National Goat Cheese Month.
 * National Panini Month
 * Peach Month
 * Sandwich Month

Moveable Gregorian

 * National Science Week (Australia)
 * See also Movable Western Christian observances
 * See also Movable Eastern Christian observances

Second to last Sunday in July and the following two weeks

 * Construction Holiday (Quebec)

1st Saturday

 * Food Day (Canada)
 * Mead Day (United States)
 * National Mustard Day (United States)

1st Sunday

 * Air Force Day (Ukraine)
 * American Family Day (Arizona, United States)
 * Children's Day (Uruguay)
 * Friendship Day (United States)
 * International Forgiveness Day
 * Railway Workers' Day (Russia)

First full week of August

 * National Farmer's Market Week (United States)

1st Monday

 * August Public Holiday (Ireland)
 * Children's Day (Tuvalu)
 * Civic Holiday (Canada)
 * British Columbia Day (British Columbia, Canada)
 * Natal Day (Nova Scotia, Canada)
 * New Brunswick Day (New Brunswick, Canada)
 * Saskatchewan Day (Saskatchewan, Canada
 * Terry Fox Day (Manitoba, Canada)
 * Commerce Day (Iceland)
 * Emancipation Day (Anguilla, Antigua, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis)
 * Farmer's Day (Zambia)
 * Kadooment Day (Barbados)
 * Labor Day (Samoa)
 * National Day (Jamaica)
 * Picnic Day (Northern Territory, Australia)
 * Somers' Day (Bermuda)
 * Youth Day (Kiribati)

1st Tuesday

 * National Night Out (United States)

1st Friday

 * International Beer Day

2nd Saturday

 * Sports Day (Russia)

Sunday on or closest to August 9

 * National Peacekeepers' Day (Canada)

2nd Sunday

 * Children's Day (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay)
 * Father's Day (Brazil, Samoa)
 * Melon Day (Turkmenistan)
 * Navy Day (Bulgaria)
 * National Day (Singapore)

2nd Monday

 * Heroes' Day (Zimbabwe)
 * Victory Day (Hawaii and Rhode Island, United States)

2nd Tuesday

 * Defence Forces Day (Zimbabwe)

3rd Saturday

 * National Honey Bee Day ( United States )

3rd Sunday

 * Children's Day (Argentina, Peru)
 * Grandparents Day (Hong Kong)

3rd Monday

 * Discovery Day (Yukon, Canada)
 * Day of Hearts (Haarlem and Amsterdam, Netherlands)
 * National Mourning Day (Bangladesh)

3rd Friday

 * Hawaii Admission Day (Hawaii, United States)

Last Thursday

 * National Burger Day (United Kingdom)

Last Sunday

 * Coal Miner's Day (some former Soviet Union countries)
 * National Grandparents Day (Taiwan)

Last Monday

 * Father's Day (South Sudan)
 * National Heroes' Day (Philippines)
 * Liberation Day (Hong Kong)
 * Late Summer Bank Holiday (England, Northern Ireland and Wales)

Fixed Gregorian

 * Season of Emancipation (Barbados) (April 14 to August 23)
 * International Clown Week (August 1–7)
 * World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7)
 * August 1
 * Armed Forces Day (China)
 * Armed Forces Day (Lebanon)
 * Azerbaijani Language and Alphabet Day (Azerbaijan)
 * Emancipation Day (Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands)
 * Imbolc (Neopaganism, Southern Hemisphere only)
 * Lammas (England, Scotland, Neopaganism, Northern Hemisphere only)
 * Lughnasadh (Gaels, Ireland, Scotland, Neopaganism, Northern Hemisphere only)
 * Minden Day (United Kingdom)
 * National Day (Benin)
 * National Milkshake Day (United States)
 * Official Birthday and Coronation Day of the King of Tonga (Tonga)
 * Pachamama Raymi (Quechua people in Ecuador and Peru)
 * Parents' Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
 * Procession of the Cross and the beginning of Dormition Fast (Eastern Orthodoxy)
 * Statehood Day (Colorado)
 * Swiss National Day (Switzerland)
 * Victory Day (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)
 * World Scout Scarf Day
 * Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire, England)
 * August 2
 * Airmobile Forces Day (Ukraine)
 * Day of Azerbaijani cinema (Azerbaijan)
 * Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)
 * Paratroopers Day (Russia)
 * Republic Day (North Macedonia)
 * August 3
 * Anniversary of the Killing of Pidjiguiti (Guinea-Bissau)
 * Armed Forces Day (Equatorial Guinea)
 * Esther Day (United States)
 * Flag Day (Venezuela)
 * Independence Day (Niger)
 * Arbor Day (Niger)
 * National Guard Day (Venezuela)
 * National Watermelon Day (United States)
 * National White Wine Day (United States)
 * August 4
 * Coast Guard Day (United States)
 * Constitution Day (Cook Islands)
 * Matica slovenská Day (Slovakia)
 * Revolution Day (Burkina Faso)
 * August 5
 * Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major (Catholic Church)
 * Independence Day (Burkina Faso)
 * National Underwear Day (United States)
 * Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian defenders (Croatia)
 * August 6
 * Feast of the Transfiguration
 * Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day. (United Arab Emirates)
 * Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Hiroshima, Japan)
 * Independence Day (Bolivia)
 * Independence Day (Jamaica)
 * Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia)
 * August 7
 * Assyrian Martyrs Day (Assyrian community)
 * Battle of Boyacá Day (Colombia)
 * Emancipation Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
 * Independence Day (Ivory Coast)
 * Republic Day (Ivory Coast)
 * Youth Day (Kiribati)
 * August 8
 * Ceasefire Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
 * Father's Day (Taiwan)
 * Happiness Happens Day (International observance)
 * International Cat Day
 * Namesday of Queen Silvia of Sweden, (Sweden)
 * Nane Nane Day (Tanzania)
 * Signal Troops Day (Ukraine)
 * August 9
 * Battle of Gangut Day (Russia)
 * International Day of the World's Indigenous People (United Nations)
 * National Day (Singapore)
 * National Women's Day (South Africa)
 * Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians (The Troth)
 * August 10
 * Argentine Air Force Day (Argentina)
 * Constitution Day (Anguilla)
 * Declaration of Independence of Quito (Ecuador)
 * International Biodiesel Day
 * National S'more Day (United States)
 * August 11
 * Flag Day (Pakistan)
 * Independence Day (Chad)
 * Mountain Day (Japan)
 * August 12
 * Glorious Twelfth (United Kingdom)
 * HM the Queen's Birthday and National Mother's Day (Thailand)
 * International Youth Day (United Nations)
 * Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia)
 * Sea Org Day (Scientology)
 * World Elephant Day
 * August 13
 * Independence Day (Central African Republic)
 * International Lefthanders Day
 * National Filet Mignon Day (United States)
 * Women's Day (Tunisia)
 * August 14
 * Anniversary Day (Tristan da Cunha)
 * Commemoration of Wadi al-Dahab (Morocco)
 * Day of the Defenders of the Fatherland (Abkhazia)
 * Engineer's Day (Dominican Republic)
 * Falklands Day (Falkland Islands)
 * Independence Day (Pakistan)
 * National Creamsicle Day (United States)
 * National Navajo Code Talkers Day (United States)
 * Pramuka Day (Indonesia)
 * August 15
 * Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary (Catholic holy days of obligation, a public holiday in many countries.
 * Ferragosto (Italy)
 * Māras (Latvia)
 * Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)
 * National Acadian Day (Acadians)
 * Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)
 * Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)
 * Navy Day (Romania)
 * Armed Forces Day (Poland)
 * The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil (Egypt and Coptic Church)
 * The main day of Bon Festival (Japan), and its related observances:
 * Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Prefecture)
 * Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)
 * End-of-war Memorial Day, when the National Memorial Service for War Dead is held. (Japan)
 * Founding of Asunción (Paraguay)
 * Independence Day (Korea)
 * Gwangbokjeol (South Korea)
 * Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)
 * Independence Day (India)
 * Independence Day (Republic of the Congo)
 * National Day (Liechtenstein)
 * National Mourning Day (Bangladesh)
 * Victory over Japan Day (United Kingdom)
 * National Lemon Meringue Pie Day (United States)
 * August 16
 * Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)
 * Children's Day (Paraguay)
 * Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)
 * The first day of the Independence Days (Gabon)
 * National Airborne Day (United States)
 * National Rum Day (United States)
 * Restoration Day (Dominican Republic)
 * August 17
 * The Birthday of Marcus Garvey (Rastafari)
 * Engineer's Day (Colombia)
 * Flag Day (Bolivia)
 * Independence Day (Indonesia)
 * Independence Days (Gabon)
 * National Vanilla Custard Day (United States)
 * Prekmurje Union Day (Slovenia)
 * San Martin Day (Argentina)
 * August 18
 * Arbor Day (Pakistan)
 * Armed Forces Day (North Macedonia)
 * Birthday of Virginia Dare (Roanoke Island)
 * Constitution Day (Indonesia)
 * Long Tan Day (Australia)
 * National Science Day (Thailand)
 * August 19
 * Feast of the Transfiguration (Julian calendar), and its related observances:
 * Buhe (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
 * Saviour's Transfiguration, popularly known as the "Apples Feast" (Russian Orthodox Church and Georgian Orthodox Church)
 * Afghan Independence Day (Afghanistan)
 * August Revolution Commemoration Day (Vietnam)
 * Birthday of Crown Princess Mette-Marit (Norway)
 * Manuel Luis Quezón Day (Quezon City and other places in The Philippines named after Manuel L. Quezon)
 * National Aviation Day (United States)
 * National Potato Day (United States)
 * World Humanitarian Day
 * August 20
 * Indian Akshay Urja Day (India)
 * Restoration of Independence Day (Estonia)
 * Revolution of the King and People (Morocco)
 * Saint Stephen's Day (Hungary)
 * World Mosquito Day
 * August 21
 * Ninoy Aquino Day (Philippines)
 * Youth Day/King Mohammed VI's Birthday (Morocco)
 * August 22
 * Feast of the Coronation of Mary
 * Flag Day (Russia)
 * Madras Day (Chennai and Tamil Nadu, India)
 * National Eat a Peach Day (United States)
 * National Pecan Torte Day (United States)
 * August 23
 * Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)
 * Day of the National Flag (Ukraine)
 * European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism or Black Ribbon Day (European Union and other countries), and related observances:
 * Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day (Romania)
 * International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
 * Umhlanga Day (Eswatini)
 * August 24
 * Flag Day (Liberia)
 * Independence Day of Ukraine
 * International Strange Music Day
 * National Waffle Day (United States)
 * Nostalgia Night (Uruguay)
 * Willka Raymi (Cusco, Peru)
 * August 25
 * Day of Songun (North Korea)
 * Independence Day (Uruguay)
 * Liberation Day (France)
 * National Banana Split Day (United States)
 * National Whiskey Sour Day (United States)
 * Soldier's Day (Brazil)
 * August 26
 * Herero Day (Namibia)
 * Heroes' Day (Namibia)
 * Repentance Day (Papua New Guinea)
 * Women's Equality Day (United States)
 * August 27
 * Film and Movies Day (Russia)
 * Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova
 * Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (Texas, United States)
 * National Banana Lovers Day (United States)
 * National Pots De Creme Day (United States)
 * August 28
 * Assumption of Mary (Eastern Orthodox Church (Public holiday in North Macedonia, Serbia, and Georgia (country))
 * Crackers of the Keyboard Day
 * National Cherry Turnover Day (United States)
 * August 29
 * International Day against Nuclear Tests
 * Miners' Day (Ukraine)
 * More Herbs, Less Salt Day
 * National Lemon Juice Day (United States)
 * National Chop Suey Day (United States)
 * National Sports Day (India)
 * Slovak National Uprising Anniversary (Slovakia)
 * Telugu Language Day (India)
 * August 30
 * Constitution Day (Kazakhstan)
 * Constitution Day (Turks and Caicos Islands)
 * Independence Day (Tatarstan, Russia, unrecognized)
 * International Day of the Disappeared (International)
 * Popular Consultation Day (East Timor)
 * Saint Rose of Lima's Day (Peru)
 * Victory Day (Turkey)
 * August 31
 * Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Balochs and Pashtuns, International observance)
 * Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)
 * Independence Day (Federation of Malaya, Malaysia)
 * Independence Day (Kyrgyzstan)
 * Independence Day (Trinidad and Tobago)
 * National Trail Mix Day (United States)
 * North Borneo Self-government Day (Sabah, Borneo)
 * Romanian Language Day (Romania, Moldova)

title: August


text:
Aaron

According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ( or  ) was a Jewish prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament (Luke, Acts, and Hebrews),  and the Quran.

The Hebrew Bible relates that, unlike Moses, who grew up in the Egyptian royal court, Aaron and his elder sister Miriam remained with their kinsmen in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. When Moses first confronted the Egyptian king about the enslavement of the Israelites, Aaron served as his brother's spokesman to the Pharaoh. Part of the Law given to Moses at Sinai granted Aaron the priesthood for himself and his male descendants, and he became the first High Priest of the Israelites. Levitical priests or kohanim are traditionally believed and halakhically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from Aaron.

According to the Book of Numbers, Aaron died at 123 years of age, on Mount Hor, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy, however, places these events at Moseroth.

Biblical narrative
According to the Book of Exodus, Aaron first functioned as Moses' assistant. Because Moses complained that he could not speak well, God appointed Aaron as Moses' "prophet". At the command of Moses, he let his rod turn into a snake. Then he stretched out his rod in order to bring on the first three plagues. After that, Moses tended to act and speak for himself.

During the journey in the wilderness, Aaron was not always prominent or active. At the battle with Amalek, he was chosen with Hur to support the hand of Moses that held the "rod of God". When the revelation was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, he headed the elders of Israel who accompanied Moses on the way to the summit. While Joshua went with Moses to the top, however, Aaron and Hur remained below to look after the people. From here on in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, Joshua appears in the role of Moses' assistant while Aaron functions instead as the first high priest.

High Priest
The books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers maintain that Aaron received from God a monopoly over the priesthood for himself and his male descendants. The family of Aaron had the exclusive right and responsibility to make offerings on the altar to Yahweh. The rest of his tribe, the Levites, were given subordinate responsibilities within the sanctuary. Moses anointed and consecrated Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, and arrayed them in the robes of office. He also related to them God's detailed instructions for performing their duties while the rest of the Israelites listened. Aaron and his successors as high priest were given control over the Urim and Thummim by which the will of God could be determined. God commissioned the Aaronide priests to distinguish the holy from the common and the clean from the unclean, and to teach the divine laws (the Torah) to the Israelites. The priests were also commissioned to bless the people. When Aaron completed the altar offerings for the first time and, with Moses, "blessed the people: and the glory of the appeared unto all the people: And there came a fire out from before the, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat [which] when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces". In this way, the institution of the Aaronide priesthood was established.

In later books of the Hebrew Bible, Aaron and his kin are not mentioned very often except in literature dating to the Babylonian captivity and later. The books of Judges, Samuel and Kings mention priests and Levites, but do not mention the Aaronides in particular. The Book of Ezekiel, which devotes much attention to priestly matters, calls the priestly upper class the Zadokites after one of King David's priests. It does reflect a two-tier priesthood with the Levites in subordinate position. A two-tier hierarchy of Aaronides and Levites appears in Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles. As a result, many historians think that Aaronide families did not control the priesthood in pre-exilic Israel. What is clear is that high priests claiming Aaronide descent dominated the Second Temple period. Most scholars think the Torah reached its final form early in this period, which may account for Aaron's prominence in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.

Conflicts
Aaron plays a leading role in several stories of conflicts during Israel's wilderness wanderings. During the prolonged absence of Moses on Mount Sinai, the people provoked Aaron to make a golden calf. This incident nearly caused God to destroy the Israelites. Moses successfully intervened, but then led the loyal Levites in executing many of the culprits; a plague afflicted those who were left. Aaron, however, escaped punishment for his role in the affair, because of the intercession of Moses according to Deuteronomy 9:20. Later retellings of this story almost always excuse Aaron for his role. For example, in rabbinic sources and in the Quran, Aaron was not the idol-maker and upon Moses' return begged his pardon because he felt mortally threatened by the Israelites.

On the day of Aaron's consecration, his oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, were burned up by divine fire because they offered "strange" incense. Most interpreters think this story reflects a conflict between priestly families some time in Israel's past. Others argue that the story simply shows what can happen if the priests do not follow God's instructions given through Moses.

The Torah generally depicts the siblings, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, as the leaders of Israel after the Exodus, a view also reflected in the biblical Book of Micah. Numbers 12, however, reports that on one occasion, Aaron and Miriam complained about Moses' exclusive claim to be the 's prophet. Their presumption was rebuffed by God who affirmed Moses' uniqueness as the one with whom the spoke face to face. Miriam was punished with a skin disease (tzaraath) that turned her skin white. Aaron pleaded with Moses to intercede for her, and Miriam, after seven days' quarantine, was healed. Aaron once again escaped any retribution.

According to Numbers 16–17, a Levite named Korah led many in challenging Aaron's exclusive claim to the priesthood. When the rebels were punished by being swallowed up by the earth, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was commissioned to take charge of the censers of the dead priests. And when a plague broke out among the people who had sympathized with the rebels, Aaron, at the command of Moses, took his censer and stood between the living and the dead until the plague abated, atoning in the process.

To emphasize the validity of the Levites' claim to the offerings and tithes of the Israelites, Moses collected a rod from the leaders of each tribe in Israel and laid the twelve rods overnight in the tent of meeting. The next morning, Aaron's rod was found to have budded and blossomed and produced ripe almonds. The following chapter then details the distinction between Aaron's family and the rest of the Levites: while all the Levites (and only Levites) were devoted to the care of the sanctuary, charge of its interior and the altar was committed to the Aaronites alone.

Death
Aaron, like Moses, was not permitted to enter Canaan with the Israelites when Moses brought water out of a rock to quench the people's thirst. Although they had been commanded to speak to the rock, Moses struck it with the staff twice, which was construed as displaying a lack of deference to the.

There are two accounts of the death of Aaron in the Torah. Numbers says that soon after the incident at Meribah, Aaron with his son Eleazar and Moses ascended Mount Hor. There Moses stripped Aaron of his priestly garments and transferred them to Eleazar. Aaron died on the summit of the mountain, and the people mourned him for thirty days. The other account is found in Deuteronomy 10:6, where Aaron died at Moserah and was buried. There is a significant amount of travel between these two points, as the itinerary in Numbers 33:31–37 records seven stages between Moseroth (Mosera) and Mount Hor. Aaron died on the 1st of Av and was 123 at the time of his death.

Descendants

Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon of the tribe of Judah. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar; only the latter two had progeny. A descendant of Aaron is an Aaronite, or Kohen, meaning Priest. Any non-Aaronic Levite—i.e., descended from Levi but not from Aaron —assisted the Levitical priests of the family of Aaron in the care of the tabernacle; later of the temple.

The Gospel of Luke records that both Zechariah and Elizabeth and therefore their son John the Baptist were descendants of Aaron.

Jewish rabbinic literature
The older prophets and prophetical writers beheld in their priests the representatives of a religious form inferior to the prophetic truth; men without the spirit of God and lacking the willpower requisite to resist the multitude in its idolatrous proclivities. Thus Aaron, the first priest, ranks below Moses: he is his mouthpiece, and the executor of the will of God revealed through Moses, although it is written fifteen times in the Torah that "the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron."

Under the influence of the priesthood that shaped the destinies of the nation under Persian rule, a different ideal of the priest was formed, according to Malachi 2:4-7, and the prevailing tendency was to place Aaron on a footing equal with Moses. "At times Aaron, and at other times Moses, is mentioned first in Scripture—this is to show that they were of equal rank," says the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, which strongly implies this when introducing in its record of renowned men the glowing description of Aaron's ministration.

In fulfillment of the promise of peaceful life, symbolized by the pouring of oil upon his head, Aaron's death, as described in the aggadah, was of a wonderful tranquility. Accompanied by Moses, his brother, and by Eleazar, his son, Aaron went to the summit of Mount Hor, where the rock suddenly opened before him and a beautiful cave lit by a lamp presented itself to his view. Moses said, "Take off thy priestly raiment and place it upon thy son Eleazar!" said Moses; "and then follow me." Aaron did as commanded; and they entered the cave, where was prepared a bed around which angels stood. "Go lie down upon thy bed, my brother," Moses continued; and Aaron obeyed without a murmur. Then his soul departed as if by a kiss from God. The cave closed behind Moses as he left; and he went down the hill with Eleazar, with garments rent, and crying: "Alas, Aaron, my brother! thou, the pillar of supplication of Israel!" When the Israelites cried in bewilderment, "Where is Aaron?" angels were seen carrying Aaron's bier through the air. A voice was then heard saying: "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips: he walked with me in righteousness, and brought many back from sin." He died on the first of Av. The pillar of cloud which proceeded in front of Israel's camp disappeared at Aaron's death. The seeming contradiction between Numbers 20:22 et seq. and Deuteronomy 10:6 is solved by the rabbis in the following manner: Aaron's death on Mount Hor was marked by the defeat of the people in a war with the king of Arad, in consequence of which the Israelites fled, marching seven stations backward to Mosera, where they performed the rites of mourning for Aaron; wherefore it is said: "There [at Mosera] died Aaron."

The rabbis particularly praise the brotherly sentiment between Aaron and Moses. When Moses was appointed ruler and Aaron high priest, neither betrayed any jealousy; instead they rejoiced in each other's greatness. When Moses at first declined to go to Pharaoh, saying: "O my Lord, send, I pray, by the hand of him whom you will send", he was unwilling to deprive Aaron of the high position the latter had held for so many years; but the Lord reassured him, saying: "Behold, when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart." Indeed, Aaron was to find his reward, says Shimon bar Yochai; for that heart which had leaped with joy over his younger brother's rise to glory greater than his was decorated with the Urim and Thummim, which were to "be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord". Moses and Aaron met in gladness of heart, kissing each other as true brothers, and of them it is written: "Behold how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Of them it is said: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed [each other]"; for Moses stood for righteousness and Aaron for peace. Again, mercy was personified in Aaron, according to Deuteronomy 33:8, and truth in Moses, according to Numbers 12:7.

When Moses poured the oil of anointment upon the head of Aaron, Aaron modestly shrank back and said: "Who knows whether I have not cast some blemish upon this sacred oil so as to forfeit this high office." Then the Shekhinah spoke the words: "Behold the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard of Aaron, that even went down to the skirts of his garment, is as pure as the dew of Hermon."

According to Tanhuma, Aaron's activity as a prophet began earlier than that of Moses. Hillel held Aaron up as an example, saying: "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace; love your fellow creatures and draw them nigh unto the Law!" This is further illustrated by the tradition that Aaron was an ideal priest of the people, far more beloved for his kindly ways than was Moses. While Moses was stern and uncompromising, brooking no wrong, Aaron went about as peacemaker, reconciling man and wife when he saw them estranged, or a man with his neighbor when they quarreled, and winning evil-doers back into the right way by his friendly intercourse. As a result, Aaron's death was more intensely mourned than Moses': when Aaron died the whole house of Israel wept, including the women, while Moses was bewailed by "the sons of Israel" only. Even in the making of the golden calf the rabbis find extenuating circumstances for Aaron. His fortitude and silent submission to the will of God on the loss of his two sons are referred to as an excellent example to men how to glorify God in the midst of great affliction. Especially significant are the words represented as being spoken by God after the princes of the Twelve Tribes had brought their dedication offerings into the newly-constructed Tent of Meeting: "Say to thy brother Aaron: Greater than the gifts of the princes is thy gift; for thou art called upon to kindle the light, and, while the sacrifices shall last only as long as the Temple lasts, thy light shall last forever."

Christianity
In the Eastern Orthodox and Maronite churches, Aaron is venerated as a saint whose feast day is shared with his brother Moses and celebrated on September 4. (Those churches that follow the traditional Julian calendar celebrate this day on September 17 of the modern Gregorian calendar). Aaron is also commemorated with other Old Testament saints on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, the Sunday before Christmas.

In Eastern Orthodox Church he is commemorated on 20 July, 12 March, Sunday of the Forefathers, Sunday of the Fathers and on April 14 with all saint Sinai monks.

Aaron is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30. He is commemorated on July 1 in the modern Latin calendar and in the Syriac Calendar.

The Moses and Aaron Church (Mozes en Aäronkerk), in the Waterlooplein neighborhood of Amsterdam, is one of the most well-known Catholic churches in the city.

One version of the Bible has an encyclopedia that describes Aaron's role in Scripture as the "spokesman for Moses".

Mormonism
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Aaronic priesthood is the lesser order of priesthood under the higher order of the Melchizedek priesthood. Those ordained to this priesthood have the authority to act in God's name in certain responsibilities in the church such as the administration of the sacrament and baptism.

In the Community of Christ, the Aaronic order of priesthood is regarded as an appendage to the Melchisedec order, and consists of the priesthood offices of deacon, teacher, and priest. While differing in responsibilities, these offices, along with those of the Melchisidec order, are regarded as equal before God.

Islam
Aaron (Arabic: هارون, Hārūn) is mentioned in the Quran as a prophet of God. The Quran praises Aaron repeatedly, calling him a "believing servant" as well as one who was "guided" and one of the "victors". The Quran additionally denies the role of Aaron in the creation of the golden calf, attributing the action to Samiri. Aaron is important in Islam for his role in the events of the Exodus, in which, according to the Quran and Islamic belief, he preached with his younger brother, Musa (Moses) to the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

Aaron's significance in Islam, however, is not limited to his role as the helper of Moses. Islamic tradition also accords Aaron the role of a patriarch, as tradition records that the priestly descent came through Aaron's lineage, which included the entire House of Amran.

Baháʼí Faith
In the Baháʼí Faith, although his father is described as both an apostle and a prophet, Aaron is merely described as a prophet. The Kitáb-i-Íqán describes Imran as his father.

In art
Aaron appears paired with Moses frequently in Jewish and Christian art, especially in the illustrations of manuscript and printed Bibles. He can usually be distinguished by his priestly vestments, especially his turban or miter and jeweled breastplate. He frequently holds a censer or, sometimes, his flowering rod. Aaron also appears in scenes depicting the wilderness Tabernacle and its altar, as already in the third-century frescos in the synagogue at Dura-Europos in Syria. An eleventh-century portable silver altar from Fulda, Germany depicts Aaron with his censor, and is located in the Musée de Cluny in Paris. This is also how he appears in the frontispieces of early printed Passover Haggadot and occasionally in church sculptures. Aaron has rarely been the subject of portraits, such as those by Anton Kern [1710–1747] and by Pier Francesco Mola [c. 1650]. Christian artists sometimes portray Aaron as a prophet holding a scroll, as in a twelfth-century sculpture from the Cathedral of Noyon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and often in Eastern Orthodox icons. Illustrations of the Golden Calf story usually include him as well – most notably in Nicolas Poussin's The Adoration of the Golden Calf (c. 1633–34, National Gallery, London). Finally, some artists interested in validating later priesthoods have painted the ordination of Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 8). Harry Anderson's realistic portrayal is often reproduced in the literature of the Latter Day Saints.

Aaron has been depicted in Exodus-related drama, such as The Ten Commandments (1956) and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Aaron


text:
April 6

Pre–1600

 * 46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
 * 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
 * 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
 * 1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople. The city falls on May 29, and is renamed Istanbul.
 * 1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.

1601–1900

 * 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
 * 1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 begins near Broadway.
 * 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy fail in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.
 * 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) establishes the Chakri dynasty.
 * 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic.
 * 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire. (Under the Old Style calendar then still in use in the Ottoman Empire, the treaty was signed on 21 March.)
 * 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America's first millionaire.
 * 1812 – British forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington assault the fortress of Badajoz. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon-led France.
 * 1814 – Nominal beginning of the Bourbon Restoration; anniversary date that Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.
 * 1830 – Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith and others at either Fayette or Manchester, New York.
 * 1841 – U.S. President John Tyler is sworn in, two days after having become president upon William Henry Harrison's death.
 * 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois.
 * 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins: In Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
 * 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sailor's Creek: Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights and loses its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign.
 * 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.
 * 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.

1901–present

 * 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole; Peary's claim has been disputed because of failings in his navigational ability.
 * 1911 – During the Battle of Deçiq, Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg).
 * 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.
 * 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The battle of Tampere ends.
 * 1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
 * 1929 – Huey P. Long, Governor of Louisiana, is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
 * 1930 – At the end of the Salt March, Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire."
 * 1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
 * 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).
 * 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.
 * 1945  – World War II: The Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end.
 * 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.
 * 1957 – The flag carrier airline of Greece for decades, Olympic Airways, is founded by Aristotle Onassis following the acquisition of "TAE - Greek National Airlines".
 * 1958 – Capital Airlines Flight 67 crashes in Tittabawassee Township, Michigan, near Freeland Tri-City Airport, killing 47.
 * 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
 * 1968 – In the downtown district of Richmond, Indiana, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
 * 1968  – Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Party leadership election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon afterward.
 * 1970 – Newhall massacre: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout.
 * 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive: American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
 * 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
 * 1973  – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter.
 * 1974 – In Brighton, United Kingdom, ABBA wins the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo", the first of a joint-record seven Swedish wins.
 * 1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.
 * 1985 – Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab.
 * 1992 – The Bosnian War begins.
 * 1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.
 * 1997 – In Greene County, Tennessee, the Lillelid murders occur.
 * 1998 – Nuclear weapons testing: Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India.
 * 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.
 * 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.
 * 2008 – The 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers later to be adopted by April 6 Youth Movement and Egyptian activists.
 * 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307.
 * 2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.
 * 2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 victims of Los Zetas were exhumed from several mass graves.
 * 2012 – Azawad declares itself independent from the Republic of Mali.
 * 2017 – U.S. military launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an air base in Syria. Russia describes the strikes as an "aggression", adding they significantly damage US-Russia ties.
 * 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collides with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others.

Pre–1600

 * 1135 – Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, Torah scholar, physician and astronomer (March 30 also proposed, d. 1204)
 * 1342 – Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
 * 1573 – Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg, German noble (d. 1643)

1601–1900

 * 1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria (d. 1649)
 * 1651 – André Dacier, French scholar and academic (d. 1722)
 * 1660 – Johann Kuhnau, German organist and composer (d. 1722)
 * 1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician, Governor of Västerbotten County (d. 1742)
 * 1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (d. 1741)
 * 1672 – André Cardinal Destouches, French composer (d. 1749)
 * 1706 – Louis de Cahusac, French playwright and composer (d. 1759)
 * 1708 – Johann Georg Reutter, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1772)
 * 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, French soldier and politician (d. 1807)
 * 1726 – Gerard Majella, Italian saint (d. 1755)
 * 1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French author and playwright (d. 1794)
 * 1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and educator (d. 1853)
 * 1773 – James Mill, Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher (d. 1836)
 * 1787 – Celestina Cordero, Puerto Rican educator (d. 1862)
 * 1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English biologist and academic (d. 1888)
 * 1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (d. 1870)
 * 1815 – Robert Volkmann, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1883)
 * 1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian journalist and poet (d. 1870)
 * 1820 – Nadar, French photographer, journalist, and author (d. 1910)
 * 1823 – Joseph Medill, Canadian-American publisher and politician, 26th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)
 * 1824 – George Waterhouse, English-New Zealand politician, 7th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1906)
 * 1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (d. 1898)
 * 1844 – William Lyne, Australian politician, 13th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1913)
 * 1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
 * 1852 – Will Crooks, English trade unionist and politician (d. 1921)
 * 1855 – Charles Huot, Canadian painter and illustrator (d. 1930)
 * 1857 – Arthur Wesley Dow, American painter and photographer (d. 1922)
 * 1860 – René Lalique, French sculptor and jewellery designer (d. 1945)
 * 1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French poet and author (d. 1897)
 * 1864 – William Bate Hardy, English biologist and academic (d. 1934)
 * 1866 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (d. 1931)
 * 1869 – Levon Shant, Armenian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1951)
 * 1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1934)
 * 1881 – Karl Staaf, Swedish pole vaulter and hammer thrower (d. 1953)
 * 1884 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh race car driver and engineer (d. 1927)
 * 1886 – Athenagoras I of Constantinople (d. 1972)
 * 1886  – Walter Dandy, American physician and neurosurgeon (d. 1946)
 * 1886  – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, Indian ruler (d. 1967)
 * 1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, illustrator, and director (d. 1976)
 * 1888  – Gerhard Ritter, German historian and academic (d. 1967)
 * 1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch engineer and businessman, founded Fokker Aircraft Manufacturer (d. 1939)
 * 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (d. 1981)
 * 1892  – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (d. 1981)
 * 1895 – Dudley Nichols, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1960)
 * 1898 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (d. 1920)
 * 1900 – Leo Robin, American composer and songwriter (d. 1984)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist (d. 1925)
 * 1902 – Julien Torma, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1933)
 * 1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (d. 1962)
 * 1903  – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (d. 1990)
 * 1904 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (d. 1988)
 * 1904  – Erwin Komenda, Austrian car designer and engineer (d. 1966)
 * 1908 – Marcel-Marie Desmarais, Canadian preacher, missionary, and author (d. 1994)
 * 1908  – Ernie Lombardi, American baseball player (d. 1977)
 * 1909 – William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (d. 1965)
 * 1909  – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)
 * 1910 – Barys Kit, Belarusian-American rocket scientist (d. 2018)
 * 1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
 * 1913 – Shannon Boyd-Bailey McCune, American geographer and academic (d. 1993)
 * 1915 – Tadeusz Kantor, Polish director, painter, and set designer (d. 1990)
 * 1916 – Phil Leeds, American actor (d. 1998)
 * 1916  – Vincent Ellis McKelvey, American geologist and author (d. 1987)
 * 1917 – Leonora Carrington, English-Mexican painter and author (d. 2011)
 * 1918 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (d. 1982)
 * 1919 – Georgios Mylonas, Greek politician, 11th Greek Minister of Culture (d. 1998)
 * 1920 – Jack Cover, American pilot and physicist, invented the Taser gun (d. 2009)
 * 1920  – Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2021)
 * 1921 – Wilbur Thompson, American shot putter (d. 2013)
 * 1922 – Gordon Chater, English-Australian comedian and actor (d. 1999)
 * 1923 – Herb Thomas, American race car driver (d. 2000)
 * 1926 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American singer and actor (d. 1990)
 * 1926  – Gil Kane, Latvian-American author and illustrator (d. 2000)
 * 1926  – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish evangelical minister and politician, 2nd First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2014)
 * 1926  – Randy Weston, American jazz pianist and composer (d. 2018)
 * 1927 – Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 1996)
 * 1928  – James Watson, American biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, Nobel Prize laureate
 * 1929 – Willis Hall, English playwright and author (d. 2005)
 * 1929  – Joi Lansing, American model, actress and nightclub singer (d. 1972)
 * 1929  – André Previn, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2019)
 * 1929  – Christos Sartzetakis, Greek jurist, supreme justice and President of Greece (d. 2022)
 * 1931 – Ram Dass, American author and educator (d. 2019)
 * 1931  – Ivan Dixon, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2008)
 * 1932 – Connie Broden, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
 * 1932  – Helmut Griem, German actor and director (d. 2004)
 * 1933 – Roy Goode, English lawyer and academic
 * 1933  – Tom C. Korologos, American journalist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Belgium
 * 1933  – Eduardo Malapit, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Kauai (d. 2007)
 * 1934 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (d. 1996)
 * 1934  – Anton Geesink, Dutch martial artist and wrestler (d. 2010)
 * 1934  – Guy Peellaert, Belgian painter, illustrator, and photographer (d. 2008)
 * 1935 – Douglas Hill, Canadian author and critic (d. 2007)
 * 1936 – Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli painter and illustrator
 * 1936  – Jean-Pierre Changeux, French neuroscientist, biologist, and academic
 * 1937 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
 * 1937  – Tom Veivers, Australian cricketer and politician
 * 1937  – Billy Dee Williams, American actor, singer, and writer
 * 1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician and television host (d. 2016)
 * 1938 – Roy Thinnes, American television and film actor
 * 1939 – André Ouellet, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
 * 1939  – John Sculley, American businessman, co-founded Zeta Interactive
 * 1940 – Homero Aridjis, Mexican journalist, author, and poet
 * 1940  – Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican-American actor and producer (d. 2011)
 * 1941 – Christopher Allsopp, English economist and academic
 * 1941  – Phil Austin, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
 * 1941  – Hans W. Geißendörfer, German director and producer
 * 1941  – Angeliki Laiou, Greek-American Byzantinist and politician (d. 2008)
 * 1941  – Don Prudhomme, American race car driver and manager
 * 1941  – Gheorghe Zamfir, Romanian flute player and composer
 * 1942 – Barry Levinson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1942  – Anita Pallenberg, Italian-English model, actress, and fashion designer (d. 2017)
 * 1943 – Max Clifford, English journalist and publicist (d. 2017)
 * 1943  – Roger Cook, New Zealand-English journalist and academic
 * 1943  – Ian MacRae, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1943  – Mitchell Melton, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
 * 1944 – Felicity Palmer, English operatic soprano
 * 1945 – Rodney Bickerstaffe, English trade union leader (d. 2017)
 * 1945  – Peter Hill, English journalist
 * 1946 – Paul Beresford, New Zealand-English dentist and politician
 * 1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor and director
 * 1947  – André Weinfeld, French-American director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1947  – Mike Worboys, English mathematician and computer scientist
 * 1949 – Alyson Bailes, English academic and diplomat (d. 2016)
 * 1949  – Patrick Hernandez, French singer-songwriter
 * 1949  – Ng Ser Miang, Singaporean athlete, entrepreneur and diplomat
 * 1949  – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
 * 1950 – Claire Morissette, Canadian cycling activist (d. 2007)
 * 1950  – Cleo Odzer, American anthropologist and author (d. 2001)
 * 1951 – Bert Blyleven, Dutch-American baseball player and sportscaster
 * 1951  – Jean-Marc Boivin, French skier, mountaineer, and pilot (d. 1990)
 * 1951  – Pascal Rogé, French pianist
 * 1952 – Udo Dirkschneider, German singer-songwriter
 * 1952  – Marilu Henner, Greek-Polish American actress and author
 * 1952  – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 1992)
 * 1953 – Patrick Doyle, Scottish actor and composer
 * 1953  – Christopher Franke, German-American drummer and songwriter
 * 1955 – Rob Epstein, American director and producer
 * 1955  – Michael Rooker, American actor, director, and producer
 * 1955  – Cathy Jones, Canadian actress, comedian, and writer
 * 1956 – Michele Bachmann, American lawyer and politician
 * 1956  – Normand Corbeil, Canadian composer (d. 2013)
 * 1956  – Mudassar Nazar, Pakistani cricketer
 * 1956  – Lee Scott, English politician
 * 1956  – Sebastian Spreng, Argentinian-American painter and journalist
 * 1956  – Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and coach
 * 1957 – Giorgio Damilano, Italian race walker and coach
 * 1957  – Maurizio Damilano, Italian race walker and coach
 * 1957  – Jaroslava Maxová, Czech soprano and educator
 * 1957  – Paolo Nespoli, Italian soldier, engineer, and astronaut
 * 1958 – Graeme Base, Australian author and illustrator
 * 1959 – Gail Shea, Canadian politician
 * 1960 – Warren Haynes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1960  – Richard Loe, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1960  – John Pizzarelli, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1961 – Rory Bremner, Scottish impressionist and comedian
 * 1961  – Peter Jackson, English footballer and manager
 * 1962 – Iris Häussler, German sculptor and academic
 * 1962  – Marco Schällibaum, Swiss footballer, coach, and manager
 * 1963 – Rafael Correa, Ecuadorian economist and politician, 54th President of Ecuador
 * 1964 – David Woodard, American conductor and writer
 * 1965 – Black Francis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1965  – Sterling Sharpe, American football player and sportscaster
 * 1966 – Vince Flynn, American author (d. 2013)
 * 1966  – Young Man Kang, South Korean-American director and producer
 * 1967 – Julian Anderson, English composer and educator
 * 1967  – Kathleen Barr, Canadian voice actress and singer
 * 1967  – Tanya Byron, English psychologist and academic
 * 1967  – Jonathan Firth, English actor
 * 1968 – Archon Fung, American political scientist, author, and academic
 * 1968  – Affonso Giaffone, Brazilian race car driver
 * 1969 – Bret Boone, American baseball player and manager
 * 1969  – Bison Dele, American basketball player (d. 2002)
 * 1969  – Philipp Peter, Austrian race car driver
 * 1969  – Paul Rudd, American actor
 * 1969  – Spencer Wells, American geneticist and anthropologist
 * 1970 – Olaf Kölzig, South African-German ice hockey player and coach
 * 1970  – Roy Mayorga, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
 * 1970  – Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer
 * 1972 – Anders Thomas Jensen, Danish director and screenwriter
 * 1972  – Dickey Simpkins, American basketball player and sportscaster
 * 1973 – Donnie Edwards, American football player
 * 1973  – Randall Godfrey, American football player
 * 1973  – Rie Miyazawa, Japanese model and actress
 * 1973  – Sun Wen, Chinese footballer
 * 1975 – Zach Braff, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1975  – Hal Gill, American ice hockey player
 * 1976 – Candace Cameron Bure, American actress and talk show panelist
 * 1976  – James Fox, Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
 * 1976  – Chris Hoke, American football player
 * 1976  – Georg Hólm, Icelandic bass player
 * 1976  – Hirotada Ototake, Japanese author and educator
 * 1977 – Ville Nieminen, Finnish ice hockey player
 * 1977  – Andy Phillips, American baseball player and coach
 * 1978 – Imani Coppola, American singer-songwriter and violinist
 * 1978  – Robert Glasper, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
 * 1978  – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster
 * 1978  – Myleene Klass, Austrian/Filipino-English singer, pianist, and model
 * 1978  – Martín Méndez, Uruguayan bass player and songwriter
 * 1978  – Blaine Neal, American baseball player
 * 1978  – Igor Semshov, Russian footballer
 * 1979 – Lord Frederick Windsor, English journalist and financier
 * 1979  – Clay Travis, American sports journalist, blogger, and broadcaster
 * 1980 – Tommi Evilä, Finnish long jumper
 * 1980  – Tanja Poutiainen, Finnish skier
 * 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Welsh footballer
 * 1981  – Jeff Faine, American football player
 * 1981  – Lucas Licht, Argentine footballer
 * 1981  – Alex Suarez, American bass player
 * 1982 – Travis Moen, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1982  – Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Spanish actor
 * 1983 – Mehdi Ballouchy, Moroccan footballer
 * 1983  – Jerome Kaino, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1983  – Mitsuru Nagata, Japanese footballer
 * 1983  – Remi Nicole, English singer-songwriter and actress
 * 1983  – James Wade, English darts player
 * 1983  – Katie Weatherston, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1984 – Max Bemis, American singer-songwriter
 * 1984  – Michaël Ciani, French footballer
 * 1984  – Siboniso Gaxa, South African footballer
 * 1984  – Diana Matheson, Canadian soccer player
 * 1985 – Clarke MacArthur, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1985  – Frank Ongfiang, Cameroonian footballer
 * 1985  – Sinqua Walls, American basketball player and actor
 * 1986 – Nikolas Asprogenis, Cypriot footballer
 * 1986  – Aaron Curry, American football player
 * 1986  – Goeido Gotaro, Japanese sumo wrestler
 * 1986  – Ryota Moriwaki, Japanese footballer
 * 1987 – Benjamin Corgnet, French footballer
 * 1987  – Heidi Mount, American model
 * 1987  – Juan Adriel Ochoa, Mexican footballer
 * 1987  – Levi Porter, English footballer
 * 1987  – Hilary Rhoda, American model
 * 1988 – Jucilei, Brazilian footballer
 * 1988  – Leigh Adams, Australian footballer
 * 1988  – Daniele Gasparetto, Italian footballer
 * 1988  – Carlton Mitchell, American football player
 * 1988  – Fabrice Muamba, Congolese-English footballer
 * 1988  – Ivonne Orsini, Puerto Rican model and television host, Miss World Puerto Rico 2008
 * 1990 – Lachlan Coote, Australian rugby league player
 * 1990  – Charlie McDermott, American actor
 * 1990  – Andrei Veis, Estonian footballer
 * 1992 – Ken, South Korean singer
 * 1992  – Julie Ertz, American soccer player
 * 1994 – Adrián Alonso, Mexican actor
 * 1995 – Darya Lebesheva, Belarusian tennis player
 * 1998 – Peyton List, American actress and model
 * 1998 – Spencer List, American actor
 * 2000 – Shaheen Afridi, Pakistani cricketer
 * 2001 – Oscar Piastri, Australian racing driver
 * 2001  – Moritz Seider, German ice hockey player
 * 2002 – Andrea Botez, Canadian-American chess player, commentator, Twitch streamer and YouTuber
 * 2002  – Leyre Romero Gormaz, Spanish tennis player
 * 2009 – Shaylee Mansfield, deaf American actress and YouTuber
 * 2009  – Valentina Tronel, French child singer

Pre–1600

 * 861 – Prudentius, bishop of Troyes
 * 885 – Saint Methodius, Byzantine missionary and saint (b. 815)
 * 887 – Pei Che, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
 * 943 – Liu Churang, Chinese general and chief of staff (b. 881)
 * 943  – Nasr II, ruler (amir) of the Samanid Empire (b. 906)
 * 1147 – Frederick II, duke of Swabia (b. 1090)
 * 1199 – Richard I, king of England (b. 1157)
 * 1231 – William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
 * 1250 – Guillaume de Sonnac, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
 * 1252 – Peter of Verona, Italian priest and saint (b. 1206)
 * 1340 – Basil, emperor of Trebizond (Turkey)
 * 1362 – James I, count of La Marche (b. 1319)
 * 1376 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (b. 1310)
 * 1490 – Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 (b. 1443)
 * 1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)
 * 1523 – Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English nobleman (b. 1479)
 * 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (b. 1471)
 * 1551 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss scholar and politician (b. 1484)
 * 1571 – John Hamilton, Scottish archbishop and academic (b. 1512)
 * 1590 – Francis Walsingham, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1532)
 * 1593 – Henry Barrowe, English Puritan and separatist (b. 1550)

1601–1900

 * 1605 – John Stow, English historian and author (b. 1525)
 * 1621 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (b. 1539)
 * 1641 – Domenico Zampieri (Domenichino), Italian painter (b. 1581)
 * 1655 – David Blondel, French minister, historian, and scholar (b. 1591)
 * 1670 – Leonora Baroni, Italian composer (b. 1611)
 * 1676 – John Winthrop the Younger, English politician, 1st Governor of Connecticut (b. 1606)
 * 1686 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, Irish-English politician (b. 1614)
 * 1707 – Willem van de Velde the Younger, Dutch-English painter (b. 1633)
 * 1755 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and historian (b. 1690)
 * 1790 – Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1719)
 * 1825 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Ukrainian-Russian painter and educator (b. 1757)
 * 1827 – Nikolis Apostolis, Greek naval commander during the Greek War of Independence (b. 1770)
 * 1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (b. 1802)
 * 1833 – Adamantios Korais, Greek philosopher and scholar (b. 1748)
 * 1838 – José Bonifácio de Andrada, Brazilian poet, academic, and politician (b. 1763)
 * 1860 – James Kirke Paulding, American author and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1778)
 * 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (b. 1803)
 * 1883 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American merchant and politician, 3rd Mayor of Chicago (b. 1801)
 * 1886 – William Edward Forster, English businessman, philanthropist, and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1818)
 * 1899 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (b. 1809)

1901–present

 * 1906 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author, playwright, and politician, 6th County Governor of Møre og Romsdal (b. 1849)
 * 1913 – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (b. 1835)
 * 1927 – Florence Earle Coates, American poet (b. 1850)
 * 1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet and playwright (b. 1869)
 * 1944 – Rose O'Neill, American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer (b. 1874)
 * 1947 – Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (b. 1896)
 * 1950 – Louis Wilkins, American pole vaulter (b. 1882)
 * 1953 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet and author (b. 1905)
 * 1959 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (b. 1895)
 * 1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
 * 1963 – Otto Struve, Ukrainian-American astronomer and academic (b. 1897)
 * 1970 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (b. 1933)
 * 1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1882)
 * 1974 – Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)
 * 1974  – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (b. 1895)
 * 1977 – Kōichi Kido, Japanese politician, 13th Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan (b. 1889)
 * 1979 – Ivan Vasilyov, Bulgarian architect, designed the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library (b. 1893)
 * 1983 – Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, Indian General who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1962 to 1966 and the Military Governor of Hyderabad State from 1948 to 1949. (b. 1908)
 * 1992 – Isaac Asimov, American science fiction writer (b. 1920)
 * 1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan banker and politician, 3rd President of Rwanda (b. 1937)
 * 1994  – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician, 5th President of Burundi (b. 1955)
 * 1995 – Ioannis Alevras, Greek banker and politician, President of Greece (b. 1912)
 * 1996 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (b. 1904)
 * 1998 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (b. 1958)
 * 1998  – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
 * 1999 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (b. 1908)
 * 2000 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician, 1st President of Tunisia (b. 1903)
 * 2001 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer-songwriter (b. 1963)
 * 2003 – David Bloom, American journalist (b. 1963)
 * 2003  – Anita Borg, American computer scientist and educator; founded Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (b. 1949)
 * 2003  – Gerald Emmett Carter, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
 * 2003  – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer, educator, and activist (b. 1927)
 * 2003  – Dino Yannopoulos, Greek stage director of the Metropolitan Opera (b. 1919)
 * 2004 – Lou Berberet, American baseball player (b. 1929)
 * 2004  – Larisa Bogoraz, Russian linguist and activist (b. 1929)
 * 2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)
 * 2005  – Anthony F. DePalma, American orthopedic surgeon and professor (b. 1904)
 * 2006 – Maggie Dixon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1977)
 * 2006  – Francis L. Kellogg, American soldier and diplomat (b. 1917)
 * 2006  – Stefanos Stratigos, Greek actor and director (b. 1926)
 * 2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian director and producer (b. 1916)
 * 2009 – J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1919)
 * 2009  – Shawn Mackay, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1982)
 * 2010 – Wilma Mankiller, American tribal leader (b. 1945)
 * 2010  – Corin Redgrave, English actor (b. 1939)
 * 2011 – Gerald Finnerman, American director and cinematographer (b. 1931)
 * 2012 – Roland Guilbault, American admiral (b. 1934)
 * 2012  – Thomas Kinkade, American painter and illustrator (b. 1958)
 * 2012  – Fang Lizhi, Chinese astrophysicist and academic (b. 1936)
 * 2012  – Sheila Scotter, Australian fashion designer and journalist (b. 1920)
 * 2012  – Reed Whittemore, American poet and critic (b. 1919)
 * 2013 – Hilda Bynoe, Grenadian physician and politician, 2nd Governor of Grenada (b. 1921)
 * 2013  – Bill Guttridge, English footballer and manager (b. 1931)
 * 2013  – Bigas Luna, Spanish director and screenwriter (b. 1946)
 * 2013  – Ottmar Schreiner, German lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
 * 2014 – Mary Anderson, American actress (b. 1918)
 * 2014  – Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (b. 1926)
 * 2014  – Liv Dommersnes, Norwegian actress (b. 1922)
 * 2014  – Mickey Rooney, American soldier, actor, and dancer (b. 1920)
 * 2014  – Chuck Stone, American soldier, journalist, and academic (b. 1924)
 * 2014  – Massimo Tamburini, Italian motorcycle designer, co-founded Bimota (b. 1943)
 * 2015 – Giovanni Berlinguer, Italian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
 * 2015  – James Best, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
 * 2015  – Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1918)
 * 2015  – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
 * 2016 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
 * 2017 – Don Rickles, American actor and comedian (b. 1926)
 * 2019 – Michael O'Donnell, British physician, journalist, author and broadcaster (b. 1928)
 * 2020 – Al Kaline, American baseball player, broadcaster and executive (b. 1934)
 * 2021 – Hans Küng, Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author (b. 1928)
 * 2022 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian and Soviet politician (b. 1946)
 * 2022  – Jill Knight, British politician (b. 1923)
 * 2024 – Joseph E. Brennan, American politician, 70th Governor of Maine (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances

 * Chakri Day, commemorating the establishment of the Chakri dynasty. (Thailand)
 * Christian feast day:
 * Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach (Lutheran Church).
 * Brychan
 * Eutychius of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
 * Marcellinus of Carthage
 * Pope Sixtus I
 * April 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
 * National Fisherman Day (Indonesia)
 * New Beer's Eve (United States)
 * Tartan Day (United States & Canada)
 * Waltzing Matilda Day (Australia)
 * International Asexuality Day

Other

 * April 6 Youth Movement
 * (starts 6April)

title: April 6


text:
April 12

Pre-1600

 * 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
 * 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
 * 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, bishop of York.
 * 1012 – Duke Oldřich of Bohemia deposes and blinds his brother Jaromír, who flees to Poland.
 * 1204 – The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.

1601–1900

 * 1606 – The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.
 * 1776 – American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
 * 1782 – American Revolution: A Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Rodney defeats a French fleet led by the Comte de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica in the Caribbean Sea.
 * 1807 – The Froberg mutiny on Malta ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli.
 * 1820 – Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
 * 1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse.
 * 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
 * 1862 – American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw).
 * 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
 * 1865 – American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
 * 1877 – The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
 * 1900 – One day after its enactment by the Congress, President William McKinley signs the Foraker Act into law, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.

1901–present

 * 1910 – SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.
 * 1917 – World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
 * 1927 – Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese Communist Party members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
 * 1927  – Rocksprings, Texas is hit by an F5 tornado that destroys 235 of the 247 buildings in the town, kills 72 townspeople and injures 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
 * 1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
 * 1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
 * 1934  – The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
 * 1937 – Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
 * 1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt's death.
 * 1945  – World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 50 miles from Berlin.
 * 1955 – The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
 * 1961 – Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1.
 * 1963 – The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
 * 1970 – Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.
 * 1980 – The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed.
 * 1980  – Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed.
 * 1980  – Canadian runner and athlete, Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope Run in St. John's, NF
 * 1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission.
 * 1983 – Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago.
 * 1985 – Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-51D to deploy two communications satellites.
 * 1990 – Jim Gary's "Twentieth Century Dinosaurs" exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there.
 * 1990   – Widerøe Flight 839 crashes after takeoff from Værøy Airport in Norway, killing five people.
 * 1992 – The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park's name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
 * 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred.
 * 1999   – During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, an American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle shoots a passenger train, killing between 20 and 60 people.
 * 2002 – A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.
 * 2007 – A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people.
 * 2009 – Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.
 * 2010 – Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28.
 * 2013 – Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali.
 * 2014 – The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.

Pre-1600

 * 811 – Muhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam of Shia Islam (d. 835)
 * 959 – En'yū, emperor of Japan (d. 991)
 * 1116 – Richeza of Poland, queen of Sweden and Grand Princess of Minsk (d. 1156)
 * 1432 – Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia (d. 1462)
 * 1484 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter's Basilica (d. 1546)
 * 1484  – Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar (d. 1527)
 * 1500 – Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (d. 1574)
 * 1526 – Muretus, French philosopher and author (d. 1585)
 * 1550 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1604)
 * 1577 – Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)

1601–1900

 * 1612 – Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver (d. 1648)
 * 1639 – Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician (d. 1712)
 * 1656 – Benoît de Maillet, French diplomat and natural historian (d. 1738)
 * 1705 – William Cookworthy, English minister and pharmacist (d. 1780)
 * 1710 – Caffarelli, Italian actor and singer (d. 1783)
 * 1713 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (d. 1796)
 * 1716 – Felice Giardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1796)
 * 1722 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1793)
 * 1724 – Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia (d. 1790)
 * 1748 – Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist and author (d. 1836)
 * 1777 – Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (d. 1852)
 * 1792 – John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English soldier and politician, Lord Privy Seal (d. 1840)
 * 1794 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (d. 1847)
 * 1796 – George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
 * 1799 – Henri Druey, Swiss lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1855)
 * 1801 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1843)
 * 1816 – Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (d. 1903)
 * 1823 – Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (d. 1886)
 * 1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (d. 1888)
 * 1845 – Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter (d. 1933)
 * 1851 – José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet (d. 1880)
 * 1851  – Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author (d. 1928)
 * 1852 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (d. 1939)
 * 1856 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician (d. 1937)
 * 1863 – Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer (d. 1895)
 * 1868 – Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral (d. 1918)
 * 1869 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
 * 1871 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1941)
 * 1874 – William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1940)
 * 1880 – Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1911)
 * 1883 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (d. 1976)
 * 1883  – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor (d. 1959)
 * 1884 – Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (d. 1932)
 * 1884  – Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1951)
 * 1885 – Robert Delaunay, French painter (d. 1941)
 * 1887 – Harold Lockwood, American actor and director (d. 1918)
 * 1888 – Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer (d. 1942)
 * 1888  – Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer (d. 1945)
 * 1892 – Henry Darger, American writer and artist (d. 1973)
 * 1894 – Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress (d. 1983)

 * 1894  – Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
 * 1898 – Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (d. 1976)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician (d. 1962)
 * 1902 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
 * 1903 – Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
 * 1907 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (d. 2003)
 * 1907  – Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic (d. 1990)
 * 1908 – Ida Pollock, English author and painter (d. 2013)
 * 1908  – Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general (d. 2006)
 * 1910 – Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (d. 2018)
 * 1910  – Irma Rapuzzi, French politician (d. 2018)
 * 1911 – Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (d. 1976)
 * 1912 – Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman (d. 1997)
 * 1912  – Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
 * 1912  – Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
 * 1913 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist (d. 2013)
 * 1914 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (d. 2013)
 * 1916 – Beverly Cleary, American author (d. 2021)
 * 1916  – Russell Garcia, American-New Zealand composer and conductor (d. 2011)
 * 1916  – Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic (d. 2007)
 * 1917 – Helen Forrest, American singer and actress (d. 1999)
 * 1917  – Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (d. 1978)
 * 1917  – Robert Manzon, French racing driver (d. 2015)
 * 1919 – István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator (d. 2012)
 * 1919  – Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
 * 1921 – Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1978)
 * 1922 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (d. 1980)
 * 1923 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2004)
 * 1924 – Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
 * 1924  – Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic (d. 2003)
 * 1924  – Curtis Turner, American race car driver (d. 1970)
 * 1925 – Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2018)
 * 1925  – Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
 * 1925  – Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
 * 1926 – Jane Withers, American actress (d. 2021)
 * 1927 – Thomas Hemsley, English baritone (d. 2013)
 * 1927  – Alvin Sargent, American screenwriter (d. 2019)
 * 1928 – Hardy Krüger, German actor (d. 2022)
 * 1928  – Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (d. 2013)
 * 1929 – Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (d. 2013)
 * 1929  – Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator (d. 2010)
 * 1930 – John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria (d. 2022)
 * 1930  – Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician (d. 2019)
 * 1930  – Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter (d. 2021)
 * 1930  – Pythagoras Papastamatiou, Greek lyricist and playwright (d. 1979)
 * 1930  – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (d. 2006)
 * 1931 – Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter (d. 1995)
 * 1932 – Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2005)
 * 1932  – Herbert Butros Khaury, American singer and ukulele player (d. 1996)
 * 1932  – Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (d. 2019)
 * 1933 – Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 2018)
 * 1934 – Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager (d. 2017)
 * 1935 – Jimmy Makulis, Greek singer (d. 2007)
 * 1936 – Tony Earl, American politician, 40th Governor of Wisconsin (d. 2023)
 * 1936  – Charles Napier, American actor (d. 2011)
 * 1936  – Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
 * 1937 – Dennis Banks, American author and activist (d. 2017)
 * 1937  – Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
 * 1939 – Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright
 * 1939  – Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2022)
 * 1940 – Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (d. 2011)
 * 1940  – Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader
 * 1941 – Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (d. 1993)
 * 1942 – Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2022)
 * 1942  – Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician (d. 2021)
 * 1942  – Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa
 * 1943 – Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
 * 1944 – Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
 * 1944  – John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
 * 1945 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (d. 2006)
 * 1946 – John Dunsworth, Canadian actor and comedian (d. 2017)
 * 1946  – Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian
 * 1946  – George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO
 * 1947 – Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic
 * 1947  – Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic (d. 2014)
 * 1947  – Tom Clancy, American historian and author (d. 2013)
 * 1947  – David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host
 * 1948 – Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer (d. 2008)
 * 1948  – Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician
 * 1948  – Christos Iakovou, Greek weightlifter
 * 1948  – Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach
 * 1949 – Scott Turow, American lawyer and author
 * 1950 – Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi
 * 1950  – Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman
 * 1950  – David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
 * 1950  – Nicholas Sackman, English composer and educator
 * 1951 – Tom Noonan, American actor
 * 1952 – Reuben Gant, American football player
 * 1952  – Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1952  – Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist
 * 1952  – Ralph Wiley, American journalist (d. 2004)
 * 1953 – Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator
 * 1954 – John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence
 * 1954  – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician (d. 2015)
 * 1954  – Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1955 – Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician
 * 1956 – Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer
 * 1956  – Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1957 – Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author
 * 1957  – Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1957  – Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer
 * 1958 – Will Sergeant, English guitarist
 * 1958  – Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower
 * 1958  – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler
 * 1960 – David Thirdkill, American basketball player
 * 1961 – Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver
 * 1961  – Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster
 * 1961  – Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer
 * 1962 – Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1962  – Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver
 * 1962  – Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle
 * 1963 – Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author
 * 1964 – Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach
 * 1964  – Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
 * 1965 – Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director
 * 1965  – Chi Onwurah, English politician
 * 1965  – Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician
 * 1965  – Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager
 * 1966 – Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer
 * 1966  – Lorenzo White, American football player
 * 1967 – Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter
 * 1968 – Alicia Coppola, American actress
 * 1968  – Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer
 * 1968  – Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1969 – Michael Jackson, American football player and politician (d. 2017)
 * 1969  – Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager
 * 1969  – Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster
 * 1970 – Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater
 * 1971 – Nicholas Brendon, American actor
 * 1971  – Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (d. 2024)
 * 1972 – Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster
 * 1973 – J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator
 * 1973  – Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer
 * 1973  – Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player
 * 1973  – Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager
 * 1974 – Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (d. 2006)
 * 1974  – Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
 * 1974  – Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player
 * 1974  – Marley Shelton, American actress
 * 1974  – Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
 * 1976 – Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner
 * 1976  – Brad Miller, American basketball player
 * 1977 – Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
 * 1977  – Sarah Monahan, Australian actress
 * 1977  – Jason Price, Welsh footballer
 * 1977  – Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer
 * 1978 – Guy Berryman, Scottish bassist (Coldplay)
 * 1978  – Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1978  – Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper
 * 1978  – Robin Walker, English businessman and politician
 * 1979 – Claire Danes, American actress
 * 1979  – Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast
 * 1979  – Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
 * 1979  – Jennifer Morrison, American actress
 * 1979  – Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer
 * 1979  – Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer
 * 1980 – Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion
 * 1980  – Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter
 * 1981 – Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner
 * 1981  – Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer
 * 1981  – Tulsi Gabbard, American politician
 * 1981  – Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler
 * 1981  – Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher
 * 1983 – Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player
 * 1983  – Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner
 * 1984 – Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper
 * 1985 – Brennan Boesch, American baseball player
 * 1985  – Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
 * 1986 – Brad Brach, American baseball pitcher
 * 1986  – Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
 * 1986  – Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player
 * 1986  – Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer
 * 1987 – Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer
 * 1987  – Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
 * 1987  – Shawn Gore, Canadian football player
 * 1987  – Josh McCrone, Australian rugby league player
 * 1987  – Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist
 * 1988 – Ricky Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
 * 1988  – Stephen Brogan, English footballer
 * 1988  – Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer
 * 1988  – Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter
 * 1988  – Moamen Zakaria, Egyptian footballer
 * 1989 – Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player
 * 1989  – Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player
 * 1989  – Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer
 * 1989  – Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer
 * 1989  – Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer
 * 1990 – Francesca Halsall, English swimmer
 * 1990  – Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer
 * 1991 – Lionel Carole, French professional footballer
 * 1991  – Torey Krug, American ice hockey player
 * 1991  – Oliver Norwood, English born Northern Irish international footballer
 * 1991  – Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player
 * 1991  – Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer
 * 1992 – Chad le Clos, South African swimmer
 * 1993 – Robin Anderson, American tennis player
 * 1993  – Jordan Archer, English-Scottish footballer
 * 1993  – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1994 – Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer
 * 1994  – Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer
 * 1994  – Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer
 * 1994  – Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress
 * 1994  – Oh Sehun, South Korean musician
 * 1995 – Pedro Cachin, Argentine tennis player
 * 1996 – Matteo Berrettini, Italian tennis player
 * 1996  – Elizaveta Kulichkova, Russian tennis player

Pre-1600

 * 45 BC – Gnaeus Pompeius, Roman general and politician (b. 75 BC)
 * 352 – Julius I, pope of the Catholic Church
 * 434 – Maximianus, archbishop of Constantinople
 * 901 – Eudokia Baïana, Byzantine empress and wife of Leo VI
 * 1125 – Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1065)
 * 1167 – Charles VII, king of Sweden (b. c. 1130)
 * 1256 – Margaret of Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, regent of Navarre (b. c. 1217)
 * 1443 – Henry Chichele, English archbishop (b. 1364)
 * 1500 – Leonhard of Gorizia, Count of Gorz (b. 1440)
 * 1530 – Joanna La Beltraneja, Princess of Castile (b. 1462)
 * 1550 – Claude, Duke of Guise (b. 1496)
 * 1555 – Joanna, Queen of Castile and Aragon (b. 1479)

1601–1900

 * 1675 – Richard Bennett, English politician, colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
 * 1684 – Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker (b. 1596)
 * 1687 – Ambrose Dixon, English-American soldier (b. 1619)
 * 1704 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (b. 1627)
 * 1748 – William Kent, English architect, designed Holkham Hall and Chiswick House (b. 1685)
 * 1782 – Metastasio, Italian-Austrian poet and composer (b. 1698)
 * 1788 – Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-Italian composer (b. 1719)
 * 1795 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
 * 1814 – Charles Burney, English composer and historian (b. 1726)
 * 1817 – Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (b. 1730)
 * 1850 – Adoniram Judson, American lexicographer and missionary (b. 1788)
 * 1866 – Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded Fleetwood (b. 1801)
 * 1872 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist (b. 1795)
 * 1878 – William M. Tweed, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
 * 1879 – Richard Taylor, Confederate general (b. 1826)
 * 1885 – William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1817)
 * 1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1820)

1901–present

 * 1902 – Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist and academic (b. 1842)
 * 1906 – Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar, academic, and philanthropist (b. 1836)
 * 1912 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (b. 1821)
 * 1933 – Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1835)
 * 1937 – Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, Turkish playwright and poet (b. 1852)
 * 1938 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (b. 1873)
 * 1943 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (b. 1889)
 * 1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
 * 1953 – Lionel Logue, Australian actor and therapist (b. 1880)
 * 1962 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1923)
 * 1966 – Sydney Allard, English racing driver and founder of the Allard car company (b. 1910)
 * 1968 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (b. 1899)
 * 1971 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and dentist (b. 1886)
 * 1973 – Arthur Freed, American songwriter and producer (b. 1894)
 * 1975 – Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian (b. 1906)
 * 1976 – Christos Kakkalos, Greek mountain guide (b. 1882)
 * 1977 – Philip K. Wrigley, American businessman, co-founded Lincoln Park Gun Club (b. 1894)
 * 1980 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (b. 1913)
 * 1981 – Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (b. 1887)
 * 1981  – Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler (b. 1914)
 * 1983 – Jørgen Juve, Norwegian football player and journalist (b. 1906)
 * 1983  – Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
 * 1984 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral and cryptanalyst (b. 1903)
 * 1986 – Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (b. 1897)
 * 1988 – Colette Deréal, French singer and actress (b. 1927)
 * 1988  – Alan Paton, South African historian and author (b. 1903)
 * 1989 – Abbie Hoffman, American activist, co-founded Youth International Party (b. 1936)
 * 1989  – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
 * 1992 – Ilario Bandini, Italian racing driver and businessman (b. 1911)
 * 1997 – George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
 * 1998 – Robert Ford, Canadian poet and diplomat (b. 1915)
 * 1999 – Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
 * 2001 – Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the smiley (b. 1921)
 * 2002 – George Shevelov, Ukrainian-American linguist and philologist (b. 1908)
 * 2004 – Moran Campbell, Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (b. 1925)
 * 2006 – William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (b. 1924)
 * 2007 – Kevin Crease, Australian journalist (b. 1936)
 * 2008 – Cecilia Colledge, English-American figure skater and coach (b. 1920)
 * 2008  – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (b. 1923)
 * 2008  – Jerry Zucker, Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1949)
 * 2010 – Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader (b. 1916)
 * 2010  – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (b. 1945)
 * 2011 – Karim Fakhrawi, Bahraini journalist, co-founded Al-Wasat (b. 1962)
 * 2012 – Mohit Chattopadhyay, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1934)
 * 2012  – Rodgers Grant, American pianist and composer (b. 1935)
 * 2013 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (b. 1928)
 * 2013  – Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer (b. 1964)
 * 2013  – Michael France, American screenwriter (b. 1962)
 * 2013  – Brennan Manning, American priest and author (b. 1934)
 * 2013  – Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist and politician (b. 1961)
 * 2013  – Ya'akov Yosef, Israeli rabbi and politician (b. 1946)
 * 2014 – Pierre Autin-Grenier, French author and poet (b. 1947)
 * 2014  – Pierre-Henri Menthéour, French cyclist (b. 1960)
 * 2014  – Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer (b. 1990)
 * 2014  – Hal Smith, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
 * 2014  – Billy Standridge, American race car driver (b. 1953)
 * 2015 – Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician (b. 1924)
 * 2015  – Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer (b. 1950)
 * 2015  – Alfred Eick, German commander (b. 1916)
 * 2015  – André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (b. 1957)
 * 2016 – Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat (b. 1930)
 * 2016  – Anne Jackson, American actress (b. 1925)
 * 2017 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (b. 1959)
 * 2020 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (b. 1983)
 * 2021 – Joseph Siravo, American actor and producer (b. 1955)
 * 2022 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1955)
 * 2024 – Roberto Cavalli, Italian fashion designer and inventor (b. 1940)
 * 2024  – Eleanor Coppola, American filmmaker (b. 1936)
 * 2024  – Robert MacNeil, Canadian-American journalist and author (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances

 * Children's Day (Bolivia)
 * Christian feast day:
 * Adoniram Judson (Episcopal Church)
 * Alferius
 * Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
 * Erkembode
 * Pope Julius I
 * Teresa of the Andes
 * Zeno of Verona
 * April 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
 * Cosmonautics Day (Russia)
 * International Day of Human Space Flight
 * Yuri's Night (International observance)
 * Halifax Day (North Carolina)
 * National Redemption Day (Liberia)

title: April 12