April 30

April 30 in recent years

2024 (Tuesday)

2023 (Sunday)

2022 (Saturday)

2021 (Friday)

2020 (Thursday)

2019 (Tuesday)

2018 (Monday)

2017 (Sunday)

2016 (Saturday)

2015 (Thursday)

April 30 is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 245 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
• 313 – Battle of Tzirallum: Emperor Licinius defeats Maximinus II and unifies the Eastern Roman Empire.
• 642 – Chindasuinth is proclaimed king by the Visigothic nobility and bishops.
• 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged on the public gallows at Montfaucon.
• 1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
• 1513 – Edmund de la Pole, Yorkist pretender to the English throne, is executed on the orders of Henry VIII.
• 1517 – Evil May Day xenophobic riots in London begin
• 1557 – Mapuche leader Lautaro is killed by Spanish forces at the Battle of Mataquito in Chile.
• 1598 – Juan de Oñate makes a formal declaration of his Conquest of New Mexico.
• 1636 – Eighty Years' War: Dutch Republic forces recapture a strategically important fort from Spain after a nine-month siege.
• 1671 – Petar Zrinski, the Croatian Ban from the Zrinski family, is executed.
• 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
• 1803 – Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation.
• 1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
• 1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.
• 1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
• 1871 – The Camp Grant massacre takes place in Arizona Territory.
• 1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York's first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.
• 1894 – Coxey's Army reaches Washington, D.C. to protest the unemployment caused by the Panic of 1893.
• 1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
• 1900 – Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughan, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express.
• 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair opens in St. Louis, Missouri.
• 1907 – Honolulu, Hawaii becomes an independent city.
• 1920 – Peru becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1925 – Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Co. for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity.
• 1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women's federal prison in the United States.
• 1927 – Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
• 1937 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines holds a plebiscite for Filipino women on whether they should be extended the right to suffrage; over 90% would vote in the affirmative.
• 1938 – The animated cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit (a prototype of Bugs Bunny).
• 1938 – The first televised FA Cup Final takes place between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End.
• 1939 – The 1939-40 New York World's Fair opens.
• 1939 – NBC inaugurates its regularly scheduled television service in New York City, broadcasting President Franklin D. Roosevelt's N.Y. World's Fair opening day ceremonial address.
• 1943 – World War II: Operation Mincemeat: The submarine HMS Seraph surfaces in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain to deposit a dead man planted with false invasion plans and dressed as a British military intelligence officer.
• 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
• 1947 – In Nevada, the Boulder Dam is renamed the Hoover Dam a second time.
• 1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
• 1953 – In Warner Robins, Georgia, an F4 tornado kills 18 people.
• 1956 – Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia. He collapses after proclaiming "I would rather be a servant in the house of the lord than sit in the seats of the mighty."
• 1957 – Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery entered into force.
• 1961 – K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear missiles, is commissioned.
• 1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
• 1966 – The Church of Satan is established at the Black House in San Francisco.
• 1967 – The Aldene Connection opened in Roselle Park, NJ, shutting down the CNJ's Jersey City waterfront terminal and transferring commuters to Newark Penn Station.
• 1973 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, most notably H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
• 1975 – Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
• 1980 – Beatrix becomes Queen of the Netherlands.
• 1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
• 1982 – The Bijon Setu massacre occurs in Calcutta.
• 1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
• 1993 – Monica Seles is stabbed by Günter Parche, an obsessed fan, during a quarterfinal match of the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Germany
• 1994 – Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger is killed in a crash during the qualifying session of the San Marino Grand Prix run at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari outside Imola, Italy.
• 1995 – U.S. President Bill Clinton becomes the first President to visit Northern Ireland.
• 2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
• 2004 – U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
• 2008 – Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia, are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, one of his sisters.
• 2009 – Chrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• 2009 – Seven people are killed and another ten injured at a Queen's Day parade in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in an attempted assassination on Queen Beatrix.
• 2009 – Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shooting: Twelve people were killed (students and staff members) by an armed attacker.
• 2012 – An overloaded ferry capsizes on the Brahmaputra River in India killing at least 103 people.
• 2013 – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates and Willem-Alexander becomes King of the Netherlands.
• 2014 – A bomb blast in Ürümqi kills three people and injures 79 others.

Births

• 1245 – Philip III of France (d. 1285)
• 1331 – Gaston III, Count of Foix (d. 1391)
• 1425 – William III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1482)
• 1553 – Louise of Lorraine (d. 1601)
• 1623 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop and saint (d. 1708)
• 1651 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint (d. 1719)
• 1662 – Mary II of England (d. 1694)
• 1664 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (d. 1709)
• 1710 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (d. 1795)
• 1723 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (d. 1806)
• 1758 – Emmanuel Vitale, Maltese commander and politician (d. 1802)
• 1770 – David Thompson, English-Canadian cartographer and explorer (d. 1857)
• 1777 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1855)
• 1803 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (d. 1879)
• 1812 – Kaspar Hauser, German feral child (d. 1833)
• 1829 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (d. 1884)
• 1850 – George Gibb, Scottish-English businessman (d. 1925)
• 1857 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist (d. 1940)
• 1857 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (d. 1920)
• 1864 – Jean, duc Decazes, French sailor (d. 1912)
• 1864 – Juhan Liiv, Estonian poet and author (d. 1913)
• 1865 – Max Nettlau, German historian and academic (d. 1944)
• 1869 – Hans Poelzig, German architect, designed the IG Farben Building and Großes Schauspielhaus (d. 1936)
• 1870 – Franz Lehár, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1948)
• 1870 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
• 1874 – Cyriel Verschaeve, Flemish priest and author (d. 1949)
• 1876 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (d. 1937)
• 1877 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (d. 1917)
• 1877 – Alice B. Toklas, American-French author (d. 1967)
• 1880 – Charles Exeter Devereux Crombie, Scottish cartoonist (d. 1967)
• 1883 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech soldier and author (d. 1923)
• 1883 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter and composer (d. 1947)
• 1884 – Olof Sandborg, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
• 1888 – John Crowe Ransom, American poet, critic, and academic (d. 1974)
• 1893 – Harold Breen, Australian public servant (d. 1966)
• 1893 – Joachim von Ribbentrop, German soldier and politician, 14th German Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
• 1895 – Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (d. 1960)
• 1896 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer and guitarist (d. 1972)
• 1896 – Hans List, Austrian scientist and businessman, founded the AVL Engineering Company (d. 1996)
• 1897 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian director and screenwriter (d. 1983)
• 1900 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (d. 1984)
• 1900 – David Manners, Canadian-American actor and singer (d. 1998)
• 1901 – Simon Kuznets, Belarusian-American economist, statistician, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
• 1902 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
• 1905 – Sergey Nikolsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
• 1908 – Eve Arden, American actress (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Bjarni Benediktsson, Icelandic journalist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1970)
• 1908 – Frank Robert Miller, Canadian air marshal and politician (d. 1997)
• 1909 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor and educator (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)
• 1910 – Levi Celerio, Filipino pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 2002)
• 1910 – Sri Sri, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1983)
• 1913 – Ilmar Raud, Estonian chess player (d. 1941)
• 1914 – Charles Beetham, American middle-distance runner (d. 1997)
• 1914 – Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter, actor, and painter (d. 2008)
• 1916 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician and engineer (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2003)
• 1916 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (d. 1999)
• 1917 – Bea Wain, American singer
• 1920 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver and pilot (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (d. 2014)
• 1921 – Tove Maës, Danish actress (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Percy Heath, American bassist (Heath Brothers and Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Al Lewis, American actor and politician (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Francis Tucker, South African race car driver (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Uno Laht, Estonian KGB officer and author (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Corinne Calvet, French-American actress (d. 2001)
• 1925 – Johnny Horton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1960)
• 1926 – Shrinivas Khale, Indian composer (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Cloris Leachman, American actress
• 1928 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author and academic (d. 2000)
• 1930 – Félix Guattari, French psychotherapist and philosopher (d. 1992)
• 1933 – Dickie Davies, English television host
• 1933 – Charles Sanderson, Baron Sanderson of Bowden, English politician
• 1934 – Jerry Lordan, English singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
• 1934 – Don McKenney, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1937 – Tony Harrison, English poet and playwright
• 1938 – Gary Collins, American actor and talk show host (d. 2012)
• 1938 – Juraj Jakubisko, Slovak director and screenwriter
• 1938 – Larry Niven, American author and screenwriter
• 1940 – Burt Young, American actor and painter
• 1941 – Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1941 – Johnny Farina, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Santo & Johnny)
• 1942 – Maurizio Arcieri, Italian singer (The New Dada and Krisma) (d. 2015)
• 1943 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (d. 2011)
• 1943 – Bobby Vee, American singer
• 1944 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (d. 2014)
• 1944 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
• 1944 – Graham Upton, English-Australian academic
• 1945 – J. Michael Brady, Emeritus Professor of Oncological Imaging at the University of Oxford
• 1945 – Annie Dillard, American author and poet
• 1945 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist (d. 2001)
• 1945 – Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1986)
• 1946 – Lee Bollinger, American lawyer and academic
• 1946 – Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• 1946 – Bill Plympton, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Don Schollander, American swimmer
• 1947 – Paul Fiddes, English theologian and academic
• 1947 – Leslie Grantham, English actor and producer
• 1947 – Finn Kalvik, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1947 – Tom Køhlert, Danish footballer and manager
• 1947 – Mats Odell, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Financial Markets
• 1948 – Alexander Onassis, American-Greek businessman (d. 1973)
• 1948 – Pierre Pagé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1948 – Margit Papp, Hungarian athlete
• 1949 – Phil Garner, American baseball player and manager
• 1949 – António Guterres, Portuguese academic and politician, 114th Prime Minister of Portugal
• 1949 – Karl Meiler, German tennis player (d. 2014)
• 1952 – Jacques Audiard, French director and screenwriter
• 1953 – Merrill Osmond, American singer, bass player, and actor (The Osmonds)
• 1954 – Thom Bray, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Jane Campion, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Kim Darroch, English diplomat, UK Permanent Representative to the European Union
• 1954 – Frank-Michael Marczewski, German footballer
• 1955 – Nicolas Hulot, French journalist and environmentalist
• 1955 – David Kitchin, English lawyer and judge
• 1955 – Zlatko Topčić, Bosnian writer and screenwriter
• 1956 – Jorge Chaminé, Portuguese opera singer
• 1956 – Lars von Trier, Danish director and screenwriter
• 1958 – Charles Berling, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Paul Gross, Canadian actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Stephen Harper, Canadian economist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
• 1959 – W. Thomas Smith, Jr., American journalist and author
• 1960 – Geoffrey Cox, English lawyer and politician
• 1960 – Kerry Healey, American academic and politician, 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
• 1960 – David Miscavige, American religious leader
• 1961 – Isiah Thomas, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1963 – Andrew Carwood, English tenor and conductor
• 1963 – Michael Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
• 1964 – Tony Fernandes, Malaysian-Indian businessman, co-founded Tune Group
• 1964 – Ian Healy, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
• 1964 – Barrington Levy, Jamaican rapper
• 1964 – Lorenzo Staelens, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1965 – Daniela Costian, Romanian-Australian discus thrower
• 1965 – Steven Klein, American photographer
• 1965 – Adrian Pasdar, American actor and director
• 1966 – Jeff Brown, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1966 – Dave Meggett, American football player and coach
• 1967 – Christine Jacob, Filipino-American actress, swimmer, and journalist
• 1967 – Philipp Kirkorov, Bulgarian-Russian singer, actor, and producer
• 1967 – Steven Mackintosh, English actor
• 1968 – Dave Halili, American illustrator and graphic designer
• 1969 – Warren Defever, American bass player and producer (His Name Is Alive and Elvis Hitler)
• 1969 – Justine Greening, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
• 1969 – Paulo Jr., Brazilian bass player and songwriter (Sepultura)
• 1971 – John Boyne, Irish author
• 1971 – Darren Emerson, English DJ and producer (Underworld)
• 1972 – J. R. Richards, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Dishwalla)
• 1973 – Leigh Francis, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Kinna McInroe, American actress and screenwriter
• 1973 – Naomi Novik, American computer programmer and author
• 1973 – Jamie Staff, English cyclist and coach
• 1973 – Jeff Timmons, American singer-songwriter and producer (98 Degrees)
• 1975 – Johnny Galecki, American actor
• 1975 – Tomi Joutsen, Finnish singer-songwriter (Amorphis)
• 1975 – Elliott Sadler, American race car driver
• 1976 – Davian Clarke, Jamaican sprinter
• 1976 – Amanda Palmer, American singer-songwriter and pianist (The Dresden Dolls and Evelyn Evelyn)
• 1977 – Jeannie Haddaway, American politician
• 1977 – Meredith L. Patterson, American technologist, journalist, and author
• 1979 – Gerardo Torrado, Mexican footballer
• 1979 – Sean Mackin, American singer and violinist (Yellowcard)
• 1980 – Atsushi, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (Exile)
• 1980 – Luis Scola, Argentinian basketball player
• 1980 – Jeroen Verhoeven, Dutch footballer
• 1981 – Tom Goss, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1981 – Nicole Kaczmarski, American basketball player
• 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, English-American actor
• 1981 – John O'Shea, Irish footballer
• 1981 – Ali Williams, New Zealand rugby player
• 1982 – Lloyd Banks, American rapper and actor (G-Unit)
• 1982 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress, singer, director, and screenwriter
• 1982 – Cleo Higgins, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (Cleopatra)
• 1982 – Drew Seeley, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
• 1983 – Chris Carr, American football player
• 1983 – Tatjana Hüfner, German luger
• 1983 – Marina Tomić, Slovenian hurdler
• 1983 – Troy Williamson, American football player
• 1984 – Shawn Daivari, American wrestler and manager
• 1984 – Risto Mätas, Estonian javelin thrower
• 1984 – Lee Roache, English footballer
• 1984 – Sophie Turner, Australian model and lawyer
• 1985 – Brandon Bass, American basketball player
• 1985 – Gal Gadot, Israeli model and actress, Miss Israel 2004
• 1986 – Dianna Agron, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1986 – Martten Kaldvee, Estonian biathlete
• 1987 – Alipate Carlile, Australian footballer
• 1987 – Chris Morris, South African cricketer
• 1987 – Rohit Sharma, Indian cricketer
• 1987 – Robbin Söderlund, Swedish DJ and music producer
• 1988 – Andy Allen, Australian chef
• 1989 – Baauer, American DJ and producer
• 1989 – Jang Wooyoung, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (2PM)
• 1990 – Mac DeMarco, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1990 – Kaarel Kiidron, Estonian footballer
• 1991 – Chris Kreider, American ice hockey player
• 1991 – Kaarel Nurmsalu, Estonian ski jumper
• 1992 – Travis Scott, American rapper and producer
• 1992 – Marc-André ter Stegen, German footballer
• 1994 – Wang Yafan, Chinese tennis player
• 1997 – Adam Ryczkowski, Polish footballer

Deaths

• 65 – Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
• 535 – Amalasuntha, Italian daughter of Theoderic the Great (b. 495)
• 783 – Hildegard of the Vinzgau (b. 758)
• 1030 – Mahmud of Ghazni (b. 971)
• 1063 – Emperor Renzong of Song (b. 1010)
• 1131 – Adjutor, French knight and saint
• 1341 – John III, Duke of Brittany (b. 1285)
• 1439 – Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, English commander (b. 1382)
• 1513 – Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, English son of Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk (b. 1472)
• 1524 – Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, French soldier (b. 1473)
• 1544 – Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1488)
• 1550 – Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (b. 1516)
• 1632 – Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, Bavarian general (b. 1559)
• 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, Swedish-Polish son of John III of Sweden (b. 1566)
• 1637 – Niwa Nagashige, Japanese daimyo (b. 1571)
• 1642 – Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (b. 1578)
• 1655 – Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (b. 1617)
• 1660 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (b. 1576)
• 1672 – Marie of the Incarnation, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Ursulines of Quebec (b. 1599)
• 1696 – Robert Plot, English chemist and academic (b. 1640)
• 1712 – Philipp van Limborch, Dutch theologian and author (b. 1633)
• 1736 – Johann Albert Fabricius, German scholar and author (b. 1668)
• 1758 – François d'Agincourt, French organist and composer (b. 1684)
• 1792 – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1718)
• 1795 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and author (b. 1716)
• 1806 – Onogawa Kisaburō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 5th Yokozuna (b. 1758)
• 1841 – Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish philologist and author (b. 1758)
• 1847 – Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen (b. 1771)
• 1863 – Jean Danjou, French captain (b. 1828)
• 1865 – Robert FitzRoy, English admiral, meteorologist, and politician, 2nd Governor of New Zealand (b. 1805)
• 1870 – Thomas Cooke, Canadian bishop and missionary (b. 1792)
• 1875 – Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer, and cartographer (b. 1766)
• 1879 – Emma Smith, American religious leader (b. 1804)
• 1883 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
• 1891 – Joseph Leidy, American paleontologist and author (b. 1823)
• 1900 – Casey Jones, American engineer (b. 1863)
• 1903 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (b. 1831)
• 1910 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet and critic (b. 1856)
• 1936 – A. E. Housman, English poet and scholar (b. 1859)
• 1939 – Frank Haller, American boxer (b. 1883)
• 1943 – Otto Jespersen, Danish linguist and academic (b. 1860)
• 1943 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (b. 1858)
• 1945 – Eva Braun, German wife of Adolf Hitler (b. 1912)
• 1945 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-German soldier and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1889)
• 1953 – Jacob Linzbach, Estonian linguist and author (b. 1874)
• 1956 – Alben W. Barkley, American lawyer and politician, 35th Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
• 1966 – Richard Fariña, American author and singer (b. 1937)
• 1970 – Inger Stevens, Swedish-American actress (b. 1934)
• 1972 – Gia Scala, English-American model and actress (b. 1934)
• 1973 – Václav Renč, Czech poet and playwright (b. 1911)
• 1974 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress and singer (b. 1900)
• 1980 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican journalist and politician, 1st Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1898)
• 1982 – Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (b. 1949)
• 1983 – George Balanchine, Russian dancer and choreographer (b. 1904)
• 1983 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1913)
• 1983 – Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (b. 1897)
• 1986 – Robert Stevenson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
• 1989 – Yi Bangja, Japanese daughter of Prince Nashimoto Morimasa (b. 1901)
• 1989 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 1993 – Tommy Caton, English footballer (b. 1962)
• 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1960)
• 1994 – Richard Scarry, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
• 1995 – Maung Maung Kha, Burmese colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1920)
• 1996 – David Opatoshu, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1918)
• 1998 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian-English poet, publisher, and diplomat (b. 1926)
• 1999 – Darrell Sweet, English drummer (Nazareth) (b. 1947)
• 2000 – Poul Hartling, Danish politician, 36th Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1914)
• 2002 – Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, German philanthropist, founded the Gründerzeit Museum (b. 1928)
• 2003 – Mark Berger, American economist and academic (b. 1955)
• 2003 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1956)
• 2005 – Phil Rasmussen, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1918)
• 2005 – Ron Todd, English union leader (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Lawrence Patrick, American mechanic and educator (b. 1920)
• 2006 – Jean-François Revel, French journalist and author (b. 1924)
• 2006 – Beatriz Sheridan, Mexican actress and director (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author and academic (b. 1925)
• 2007 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (b. 1983)
• 2007 – Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
• 2007 – Tom Poston, American actor, comedian and game show panelist (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Gordon Scott, American actor (b. 1927)
• 2007 – Zola Taylor, American singer (The Platters) (b. 1938)
• 2008 – John Cargher, English-Australian journalist and author (b. 1919)
• 2009 – Venetia Burney, English girl who named Pluto (b. 1918)
• 2009 – Henk Nijdam, Dutch cyclist (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Dorjee Khandu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (b. 1955)
• 2011 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter (b. 1915)
• 2011 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist, author, and painter (b. 1911)
• 2012 – Ernst Bolldén, Swedish table tennis player (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Tomás Borge, Nicaraguan poet and politician, co-founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (b. 1985)
• 2012 – Giannis Gravanis, Greek footballer (b. 1958)
• 2012 – George Murdock, American actor (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Benzion Netanyahu, Russian-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1910)
• 2012 – Sicelo Shiceka, South African politician (b. 1966)
• 2013 – Roberto Chabet, Filipino painter and sculptor (b. 1937)
• 2013 – Shirley Firth, Canadian skier (b. 1953)
• 2013 – Viviane Forrester, French author and critic (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Emil Frei, American physician and oncologist (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Mike Gray, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Andrew J. Offutt, American author (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Khaled Choudhury, Indian painter and set designer (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Chris Harris, English actor and director (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Julian Lewis, English biologist and academic (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Carl E. Moses, American businessman and politician (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Ian Ross, Australian journalist (b. 1940)
• 2015 – Lennart Bodström, Swedish politician (b. 1928)
• 2015 – Steven Goldmann, Canadian director and producer (b. 1961)
• 2015 – Rutger Gunnarsson, Swedish musician (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Drifters) (b. 1938)
• 2015 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (b. 1991)
• 2015 – Patachou, French singer and actress (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Georgia)
• Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, one of the official flag days of Sweden.
• Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion)
• Children's Day (Mexico)
• Christian feast day:
  • Adjutor
  • Aimo
  • Amator, Peter and Louis
  • Blessed Miles Gerard
  • Eutropius of Saintes
  • Marie Guyart (Anglican Church of Canada)
  • Marie of the Incarnation (Ursuline)
  • Maximus of Rome
  • Pomponius of Naples
  • Pope Saint Pius V
  • Quirinus of Neuss
  • Sarah Josepha Hale (Episcopal Church)
  • Suitbert the Younger
  • April 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Ascension Day can fall, while June 3 is the latest; celebrated 40 days after Easter (Christianity), and its related observances:
  • Father's Day (Germany)
  • Festa della Sensa (Venice)
  • Global Day of Prayer (Western Christianity)
  • Heroes' Day (Romania)
  • Sheep Festival (Cameroon)
• Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
• Honesty Day (U.S.)
• International Jazz Day (UNESCO)
• Martyr's Day (Pakistan)
• May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer in the Northern hemisphere (see May 1):
  • Beltane begins at sunset in the Northern hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset in the Southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
  • Beltane Fire Festival (Calton Hill, Edinburgh)
  • Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
  • Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe)
• National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
• Reunification Day (Vietnam)
• Tax Day (Canada)
• Teachers' Day (Paraguay)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada