May 22

For the movie, see 22nd of May (film).

May 22 is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 223 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 334 BC – The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus.
• 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
• 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to murder Saladin near Aleppo.
• 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.
• 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany, in opposition to Conrad IV.
• 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.
• 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.
• 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.
• 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck to end the Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.
• 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.
• 1762 – Trevi Fountain in Rome is officially completed and inaugurated by Pope Clemens XIII.
• 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
• 1807 – Most of the English town of Chudleigh is destroyed by fire.
• 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time.
• 1812 – Action of 22 May 1812: A small French two-frigate squadron comprising Ariane and Andromaque, returning from a commerce raiding campaign in the Atlantic, meets the 74-gun HMS Northumberland while trying the slip to Lorient through the British blockade.
• 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs; the rioting spreads to Ely the next day.
• 1819 – The SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The ship arrived at Liverpool, England, on June 20.
• 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.
• 1840 – The transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.
• 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique.
• 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats over obstacles in a river, making him the only U.S. President to ever hold a patent.
• 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beats Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made attacking Southerners who sympathized with the pro-slavery violence in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas").
• 1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Port Hudson: Union forces begin to lay siege to the Confederate-controlled Port Hudson, Louisiana.
• 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends with the Union unable to achieve any of its objectives.
• 1871 – The U.S. Army issues an order for abandonment of Fort Kearny in Nebraska.
• 1872 – Reconstruction: U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.
• 1885 – Prior to burial in the Panthéon, the body of Victor Hugo was exposed under the Arc de Triomphe during the night.
• 1897 – The Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames is officially opened
• 1903 – Launch of the White Star Liner, SS Ionic.
• 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".
• 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, and is the only mountain other than Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous US during the 20th century.
• 1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246; the accident is found to be the result of non-standard operating practices during a shift change at a busy junction.
• 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces communists in Kuomintang, China.
• 1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.
• 1942 – Mexico enters World War II on the side of the Allies.
• 1942 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee disbands, and a new trade union, the United Steelworkers, is formed.
• 1942 – World War II: Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists in the United States Marine Corps as a flight instructor.
• 1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands Comintern.
• 1945 – Operation Paperclip: United States Army Major Robert B. Staver recommends that the U.S. evacuate German scientists and engineers to help in the development of rocket technology.
• 1947 – Cold War: In an effort to fight the spread of Communism, the U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs an act into law that will later be called the Truman Doctrine. The act grants $400 million in military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece, each battling an internal Communist movement.
• 1958 – Sri Lankan riots of 1958: This riot is a watershed event in the race relationship of the various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total number of deaths is estimated to be 300, mostly Sri Lankan Tamils.
• 1960 – An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, now known as the Great Chilean earthquake, hits southern Chile. It is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
• 1961 – An earthquake rocks New South Wales.
• 1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes after bombs explode on board.
• 1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis, is shot and dies five days later.
• 1964 – The U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces the goals of his Great Society social reforms to bring an "end to poverty and racial injustice" in America.
• 1967 – The L'Innovation department store in the center of Brussels, Belgium, burns down. It is the most devastating fire in Belgian history, resulting in 323 dead and missing and 150 injured.
• 1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine the USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
• 1969 – Apollo 10 's lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon's surface.
• 1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, thus becoming a Republic, changes its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1980 – Namco releases the highly influential arcade game Pac-Man.
• 1987 – Hashimpura massacre in Meerut, India.
• 1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
• 1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.
• 1990 – Microsoft releases the Windows 3.0 operating system.
• 1992 – After 30 years, 66-year-old Johnny Carson hosts The Tonight Show for the last time.
• 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.
• 1997 – Kelly Flinn, the US Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court-martial.
• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: A federal judge rules that United States Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the scandal, involving President Bill Clinton.
• 2002 – In Washington, D.C., the remains of Chandra Levy are found in Rock Creek Park.
• 2002 – American civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murders of four girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
• 2003 – In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
• 2004 – The U.S. town of Hallam, Nebraska is wiped out by a powerful F4 tornado (part of the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence) which kills one resident, and becomes the widest tornado on record at 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide; a record that wouldn't be broken until the El Reno tornado on May 31, 2013.
• 2005 – A Presidential election is held in Mongolia; the result is a victory for Nambaryn Enkhbayar of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP).
• 2008 – The Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence unleashes 235 tornadoes, including an EF4 and an EF5 tornado, between May 22 and May 31, 2008. The tornadoes strike 19 states and one Canadian province.
• 2009 – The Credit CARD Act of 2009 was signed into U.S. law by the President, Barack Obama.
• 2010 – An Air India Express Boeing 737 goes over a cliff and crashes upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of the 166 people on board. It is the worst crash involving a Boeing 737.
• 2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 162 people and wreaking $2.8 billion worth in damage—the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.
• 2012 – Tokyo Skytree is opened to public. It is the tallest tower in world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth, after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).
• 2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha of the Royal Thai Armed Forces announces a military coup d'état, following six months of political turmoil.
• 2014 – An explosion occurs in the city of Ürümqi, the capital of China's far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.

Births

• 1408 – Annamacharya, Hindu saint (d. 1503)
• 1539 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1621)
• 1558 – Françoise de Cezelli, French soldier (d. 1615)
• 1570 – Johann II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1605)
• 1581 – Archduchess Gregoria Maximiliana of Austria, Austrian member of Hapsburgs (d. 1597)
• 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
• 1645 – Charles Louis Simonneau, French engraver and painter (d. 1728)
• 1678 – Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, Scottish author (d. 1762)
• 1694 – Daniel Gran, Austrian painter (d. 1757)
• 1700 – Michel-François Dandré-Bardon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1785)
• 1711 – Guillaume du Tillot, French politician (d. 1774)
• 1715 – François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and diplomat (d. 1794)
• 1724 – Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, French cartographer and explorer (d. 1772)
• 1733 – Hubert Robert, French painter and educator (d. 1808)
• 1733 – Alexander Monro, Scottish anatomist, physician, and academic (d. 1817)
• 1737 – Tethart Philipp Christian Haag, German-Dutch painter (d. 1812)
• 1748 – Thomas Roberts, Irish painter (d. 1778)
• 1752 – Louis Legendre, French butcher and politician (d. 1797)
• 1755 – Tench Coxe, American economist and politician (d. 1824)
• 1762 – Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1834)
• 1770 – Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (d. 1840)
• 1772 – Ram Mohan Roy, Indian philosopher and reformer (d. 1833)
• 1781 – Carl Otto Mörner, Swedish courtier and politician (d. 1868)
• 1783 – William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the electromagnet and electric motor (d. 1850)
• 1788 – William Broughton, English bishop (d. 1853)
• 1802 – Leopold Feldmann, German-Austrian journalist and playwright (d. 1882)
• 1804 – Jonathan Pereira, English pharmacologist (d. 1853)
• 1808 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (d. 1855)
• 1811 – Giulia Grisi, Italian-German soprano (d. 1869)
• 1811 – Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Secretary of State for War (d. 1864)
• 1813 – Richard Wagner, German director and composer (d. 1883)
• 1814 – Amalia Lindegren, Swedish painter (d. 1891)
• 1814 – Erasmus Ommanney, English admiral and explorer (d. 1904)
• 1819 – Louise de Mérode, Belgian-Italian wife of Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna (d. 1868)
• 1820 – Alexander Fesca, German pianist and composer (d. 1849)
• 1823 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (d. 1889)
• 1823 – Isabella Glyn, Scottish-English actress (d. 1889)
• 1828 – Albrecht von Graefe, German ophthalmologist and academic (d. 1870)
• 1831 – Henry Vandyke Carter, English anatomist and surgeon (d. 1897)
• 1833 – Félix Bracquemond, French painter and etcher (d. 1914)
• 1834 – Niwa Nagakuni, Japanese daimyo (d. 1904)
• 1837 – Guillaume Fouace, French painter (d. 1895)
• 1841 – Hamilton Macallum, Scottish painter (d. 1896)
• 1841 – Catulle Mendès, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1909)
• 1844 – Mary Cassatt, American painter and educator (d. 1926)
• 1846 – Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (d. 1908)
• 1848 – Hermann Schubert, German mathematician and academic (d. 1911)
• 1848 – Fritz von Uhde, German painter and educator (d. 1911)
• 1849 – Louis Perrier, Swiss colonel and politician (d. 1913)
• 1849 – Aston Webb, English architect and academic, designed the Victoria Memorial and The Mall (d. 1930)
• 1850 – Johann Schrammel, Austrian composer (d. 1893)
• 1850 – Hildegard Thorell, Swedish painter (d. 1930)
• 1852 – Émile Sauret, French violinist and composer (d. 1920)
• 1852 – Augustine Podmore Williams, English sailor (d. 1916)
• 1858 – Belmiro de Almeida, Brazilian painter, illustrator, sculptor (d. 1935)
• 1858 – Marion Spielmann, British Victorian art critic and scholar (d. 1948)
• 1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle, Scottish physician and author (d. 1930)
• 1859 – Farquhar McGillivray Knowles, American-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
• 1859 – Tsubouchi Shōyō, Japanese author, playwright, and educator (d. 1935)
• 1864 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (d. 1931)
• 1865 – Enric Morera i Viura, Spanish trumpet player, violinist, and composer (d. 1942)
• 1867 – Romaine Fielding, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1927)
• 1867 – Augusto Valli, Italian realist painter (d. 1945)
• 1868 – William Beach Thomas, English journalist and author (d. 1957)
• 1868 – Augusto Pestana, Brazilian engineer and politician (d. 1934)
• 1871 – Harold Nelson, English illustrator and engraver (d. 1948)
• 1874 – Daniel François Malan, South African clergyman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1959)
• 1876 – Antonius Bouwens, Dutch target shooter (d. 1963)
• 1876 – Julius Klinger, Austrian painter and illustrator (d. 1942)
• 1879 – Warwick Armstrong, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 1947)
• 1879 – Jean Cras, French admiral and composer (d. 1932)
• 1879 – Jack White, Irish trade unionist and army organizer (d. 1946)
• 1880 – Francis de Miomandre, French author and translator (d. 1959)
• 1881 – Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, English businessman and politician (d. 1964)
• 1881 – Colin Veitch, English footballer and manager (d. 1938)
• 1885 – Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
• 1885 – Kansuke Naka, Japanese novelist (d. 1965)
• 1885 – Soemu Toyoda, Japanese admiral (d. 1957)
• 1886 – Werner Otto von Hentig, German diplomat (d. 1984)
• 1887 – Arthur Cravan, Swiss-born pugilist and poet (d. 1918)
• 1887 – Frederick Garfield Gilmore, Canadian-American boxer (d. 1969)
• 1887 – Frank Nelson, American pole vaulter and baseball player (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Percy Sillitoe, English intelligence officer (d. 1962)
• 1889 – Hugh Miller, English actor (d. 1976)
• 1890 – Per Collinder, Swedish astronomer and author, founded Collinder catalog (d. 1975)
• 1891 – Johannes R. Becher, German politician, novelist, and poet (d. 1958)
• 1891 – Eddie Edwards, American baseball player and trombonist (Original Dixieland Jazz Band) (d. 1963)
• 1892 – William Roy Hodgson, Australian soldier and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to South Africa (d. 1958)
• 1893 – Duff Twysden, British socialite (d. 1938)
• 1894 – Friedrich Pollock, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1970)
• 1896 – Clarence Bull, American photographer (d. 1979)
• 1897 – Jeanne de Casalis, South African-English actress (d. 1966)
• 1897 – Marcelle Meyer, French pianist (d. 1958)
• 1898 – Lucy Doraine, Hungarian-American actress and producer (d. 1989)
• 1898 – Rito Selvaggi, Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and poet (d. 1972)
• 1899 – Binnie Hale, English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1984)
• 1900 – Yvonne de Gaulle, French wife of Charles de Gaulle (d. 1979)
• 1900 – Herbert A. Wagner, Austrian scientist (d. 1982)
• 1901 – Maurice J. Tobin, American politician, 6th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1953)
• 1902 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (d. 1956)
• 1902 – David Tennant, British aristocrat and socialite (d. 1968)
• 1903 – Yves Rocard, French physicist and academic (d. 1992)
• 1903 – Bertha Swirles, English physicist and academic (d. 1999)
• 1904 – Uno Lamm, Swedish electrical engineer and inventor (d. 1989)
• 1904 – Pyotr Sobolevsky, Russian actor (d. 1977)
• 1904 – Paul Viiding, Estonian author, poet, and critic (d. 1962)
• 1904 – Anne de Vries, Dutch teacher and author (d. 1964)
• 1905 – Bodo von Borries, German physicist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (d. 1956)
• 1907 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1983)
• 1907 – Martha Angelici, French soprano and actress (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Eugène Claudius-Petit, French politician (d. 1989)
• 1907 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1989)
• 1908 – Frank Baker, English author and screenwriter (d. 1982)
• 1908 – Rattana Pestonji, Thai director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer (d. 1970)
• 1908 – Horton Smith. American golfer and captain (d. 1963)
• 1909 – Rudolf Bergander, German painter (d. 1970)
• 1909 – Margaret Mee, English illustrator and educator (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Johnny Olson, American game show host and announcer (d. 1985)
• 1911 – Minoru Kawabata, Japanese-American painter and academic (d. 2001)
• 1911 – Anatol Rapoport, Russian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2007)
• 1912 – Herbert C. Brown, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
• 1913 – Rafael Gil, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
• 1913 – William Hawthorne, English engineer and academic (d. 2011)
• 1913 – František Jílek, Czech conductor (d. 1993)
• 1913 – Dominique Rolin, Belgian author (d. 2012)
• 1914 – Maurice Blackburn, Canadian composer and conductor (d. 1988)
• 1914 – Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (d. 2010)
• 1914 – Vance Packard, American journalist and author (d. 1996)
• 1914 – Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, bandleader, and poet (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian, author, and educator (d. 1994)
• 1916 – William C. Brown, American engineer (d. 1999)
• 1917 – George Aratani, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
• 1917 – Jean-Louis Curtis, French author (d. 1995)
• 1917 – Nathan Davis, American actor (d. 2008)
• 1917 – Daniel Nagrin, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2008)
• 1917 – Georg Tintner, Austrian-Canadian conductor and composer (d. 1999)
• 1919 – Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian businessman and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2001)
• 1920 – Thomas Gold, Austrian-American astrophysicist and academic (d. 2004)
• 1921 – Jalil Shahnaz, Iranian tar player and composer (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Quinn Martin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1987)
• 1922 – John Rowe Townsend, English author and scholar (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Faye Adams, American rhythm and blues singer
• 1923 – Denise Pelletier, Canadian actress (d. 1976)
• 1924 – Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1924 – Cuddly Dudley, English rock and roll singer (d. 2011)
• 1925 – Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1991)
• 1926 – Elek Bacsik, Hungarian-American violinist and guitarist (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Peter Matthiessen, American journalist and author, co-founded The Paris Review (d. 2014)
• 1927 – George Andrew Olah, Hungarian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1928 – Jackie Cain, American singer (Jackie and Roy) (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Serge Doubrovsky, French theorist and author
• 1928 – John Mackenzie, Scottish director and producer (d. 2011)
• 1928 – T. Boone Pickens, American businessman
• 1929 – André Haefliger, Swiss mathematician and academic
• 1929 – Sergio Mantovani, Italian race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1930 – Kenny Ball, English trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Leon Ehrenpreis, American mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Marisol Escobar, French-American sculptor
• 1930 – Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1978)
• 1932 – Merry Anders, American actress and model (d. 2012)
• 1932 – Robert Spitzer, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1932 – Irwin Stelzer, American economist and journalist
• 1933 – Gamaliel Onosode, Nigerian businessman and politician (d. 2015)
• 1933 – Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician and academic (d. 1996)
• 1934 – Don Cupitt, English priest, philosopher, and theologian
• 1934 – Peter Nero, American pianist and conductor
• 1935 – Leonardo Del Vecchio, Italian businessman, founded Luxottica
• 1935 – Louis Marriott, Jamaican actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1935 – Ron Piché, Canadian baseball player and firefighter (d. 2011)
• 1935 – Desmond Seward, English historian and author
• 1936 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (d. 2014)
• 1936 – M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and author (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
• 1937 – Guy Marchand, French actor and singer
• 1938 – Richard Benjamin, American actor and director
• 1938 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (d. 1999)
• 1939 – Dick Berk, American drummer and bandleader (d. 2014)
• 1939 – Paul Winfield, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1940 – Kieth Merrill, American filmmaker
• 1940 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
• 1940 – Bernard Shaw, American journalist
• 1941 – Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician
• 1941 – Nangolo Ithete, Namibian politician (d. 2002)
• 1941 – Martha Langbein, German runner
• 1942 – Ted Kaczynski, American academic and mathematician turned anarchist and serial murderer
• 1942 – Barbara Parkins, Canadian-American actress
• 1943 – Kurt Bendlin, German decathlete
• 1943 – David Bernstein, English accountant and businessman
• 1943 – Tommy John, American baseball player and manager
• 1943 – Arlene Phillips, English choreographer, theater director, personality
• 1943 – Gesine Schwan, German political scientist and academic
• 1943 – Betty Williams, Northern Irish activist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1944 – Vaiko, Indian politician
• 1944 – Lynn Barber, English journalist
• 1944 – John Flanagan, Australian fantasy author
• 1944 – Beaton Tulk, Canadian educator and politician, 7th Premier of Newfoundland
• 1945 – Ricky Fenson, English bass player (The Rolling Stones, Steampacket and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames)
• 1946 – George Best, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 2005)
• 1946 – Michael Green, English physicist and academic
• 1946 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (d. 2015)
• 1946 – Lyudmila Zhuravlyova, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer and academic
• 1947 – Mohamed Hashish, Egyptian-born research scientist
• 1947 – Franz Koglmann, Austrian jazz composer
• 1947 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos, Egyptian-American astronomer and astrophysicist (d. 1997)
• 1948 – Richard Baker, American politician
• 1948 – Tomás Sánchez, Cuban painter and engraver
• 1948 – Nedumudi Venu, Indian actor and screenwriter
• 1949 – Ieuan Wyn Jones, Welsh politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
• 1949 – Valentin Inzko, Austrian diplomat
• 1950 – Alekos Alavanos, Greek lawyer and politician
• 1950 – David Judge, English political scientist and academic
• 1950 – Bernie Taupin, English singer-songwriter and poet
• 1950 – Bill Whelan, Irish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Planxty)
• 1951 – Go Doo-shim, South Korean actress
• 1952 – Bernhard Brinkmann, German lawyer and politician
• 1952 – Louise Christian, English lawyer and author
• 1953 – Doris Barnett, German politician
• 1953 – Peter Bazalgette, English television producer
• 1953 – Cha Bum-kun, South Korean footballer and manager
• 1953 – Paul Mariner, English footballer, coach, and manager
• 1954 – Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1955 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist (d. 2008)
• 1955 – Jerry Dammers, Indian-English keyboard player and songwriter (The Specials)
• 1955 – Iva Davies, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Icehouse)
• 1955 – John Grimaldi, English musician, songwriter and artist (Argent) (d. 1983)
• 1955 – Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Welsh union leader and politician
• 1955 – Dale Winton, English radio and television host
• 1956 – Al Corley, American actor, singer, and producer
• 1956 – Natasha Shneider, Russian-American singer, keyboard player, and actress (Eleven) (d. 2008)
• 1957 – Albert Boonstra, Dutch swimmer
• 1957 – Shinji Morisue, Japanese Olympic gymnast
• 1957 – Lisa Murkowski, American lawyer and politician
• 1957 – Gary Sweet, Australian actor
• 1958 – Denise Welch, English actress and dancer
• 1959 – David Blatt, American-Israeli basketball player and coach
• 1959 – Dalbello, Canadian singer
• 1959 – Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and pianist (The Smiths)
• 1959 – Kwak Jae-yong, South Korean director and screenwriter
• 1959 – Andres Luure, Estonian mathematician, philosopher, and academic
• 1959 – Jon Sopel, English journalist
• 1959 – Harry Standjofski, Canadian actor, director, and playwright
• 1960 – Hideaki Anno, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Mike Breen, American sportscaster
• 1961 – Ann Cusack, American actress
• 1961 – Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwandan politician
• 1962 – Hanan Kattan, British-Palestinian film producer
• 1962 – Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (d. 1997)
• 1962 – Hannah Mary Rothschild, English director and producer
• 1963 – Andrej Blatnik, Slovene author and academic
• 1964 – Ramūnas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
• 1964 – Mark Christopher Lawrence, American actor and producer
• 1964 – Nigel Murray, English boccia player
• 1964 – Maya Usova, Russian ice dancer
• 1965 – Jay Carney, American journalist, 29th White House Press Secretary
• 1965 – John Cherry, Australian journalist and politician
• 1965 – Fanis Christodoulou, Greek basketball player
• 1965 – Catie Curtis, American singer-songwriter
• 1966 – Johnny Gill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (New Edition, LSG, and Heads of State)
• 1966 – José Mesa, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1966 – Scott Putski, American wrestler
• 1966 – Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese director and screenwriter
• 1967 – Christophe Gagliano, French martial artist and academic
• 1967 – Erik Proper, Dutch computer scientist
• 1967 – Brooke Smith, American actress and model
• 1967 – Gundars Vētra, Latvian basketball player and coach
• 1968 – Randy Brown, American basketball player and manager
• 1968 – Ma Jun, Chinese environmentalist and journalist
• 1968 – Graham Linehan, Irish comedian, actor, and author
• 1968 – Karen Lord, Barbadian author
• 1968 – Simon Rumley, English director and screenwriter
• 1969 – Michael Kelly, American actor
• 1969 – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, American lawyer and politician
• 1969 – Damijan Stepančič, Slovene painter and illustrator
• 1970 – Paddy Atkinson, Singaporean-English footballer and manager
• 1970 – Naomi Campbell, English model and actress
• 1970 – Pedro Diniz, Brazilian race car driver
• 1970 – Nadia Khan, Pakistani actress and producer
• 1970 – Zoltan Lunka, German boxer
• 1971 – Daryn Cresswell, Australian footballer and coach
• 1972 – Andrus Aug, Estonian cyclist
• 1972 – Jaouad Gharib, Moroccan runner
• 1973 – Madhureeta Anand, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Steffen Højer, Danish footballer and manager
• 1973 – Donell Jones, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1973 – Julián Tavárez, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1973 – Danny Tiatto, Australian footballer
• 1974 – John Bale, American baseball player
• 1974 – Monika Chiang, American fashion designer
• 1974 – Graham Fenton, English footballer and manager
• 1974 – Sean Gunn, American actor and screenwriter
• 1974 – A. J. Langer, American actress
• 1975 – Salva Ballesta, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1975 – Tracy Brookshaw, Canadian-American wrestler and referee
• 1975 – Janne Niinimaa, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1975 – Enrique Palacios, Venezuelan model
• 1975 – Janne Tuohino, Finnish race car driver
• 1976 – Daniel Erlandsson, Swedish drummer (Arch Enemy, Eucharist, Armageddon, and Carcass)
• 1976 – Christian Vande Velde, American cyclist
• 1977 – A-1, Canadian bodybuilder and wrestler
• 1977 – Dré Bly, American football player
• 1977 – Tom Chambers, English actor
• 1977 – Tarmo Mitt, Estonian strongman
• 1977 – Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Fijian-Irish hurler and footballer
• 1977 – Vinnie Potestivo, American casting director and producer
• 1977 – Martin Trčka, Czech sailor
• 1978 – Maelle Gavet, French businesswoman
• 1978 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
• 1978 – Katie Price, English model, businesswoman, and author
• 1979 – Christoph Eigenmann, Swiss skier
• 1979 – Vivian Green, American R&B singer-songwriter
• 1979 – Maggie Q, American actress and producer
• 1979 – Adam Wilde, English footballer
• 1980 – Steven Baker, Australian footballer
• 1980 – Björn Barta, German ice hockey player
• 1980 – Rhett Fisher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1980 – Lucy Gordon, English model and actress (d. 2009)
• 1980 – Tommy Smith, English footballer
• 1980 – Rena Tanaka, Japanese actress and television personality
• 1980 – Chad Tracy, American baseball player
• 1980 – Eddie Watson, Liberian-born Ghanaian actor and producer
• 1981 – Daniel Bryan, American wrestler
• 1981 – Lee Bullock, English footballer
• 1981 – Juan Carlo Calma, Filippino visual artist and architect
• 1981 – Du Chun, Chinese actor
• 1981 – Melissa Gregory, American ice dancer
• 1981 – Jana Hlaváčková, Czech tennis player
• 1981 – Daniel Holdsworth, Australian singer and guitarist (Tubular Bells for Two)
• 1981 – Bassel Khartabil, Syrian computer programmer and engineer
• 1981 – Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player
• 1981 – Matthew Newbury, English businessman
• 1981 – Sara Pascoe, British comedian
• 1981 – Louis Talpe, Belgian actor
• 1982 – Erin McNaught, Australian model and actress, Miss Australia 2006
• 1982 – Fred Murray, Irish footballer
• 1982 – Apolo Ohno, American speed skater
• 1982 – Chinmaya M. Rao, Indian singer and author
• 1982 – Tom Scudamore, English jockey
• 1982 – Hong Yong-jo, North Korean footballer
• 1983 – Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 1983 – John Hopkins, American motorcycle racer
• 1983 – Natasha Kai, American soccer player and Olympic medalist
• 1983 – Franco Niell, Argentine footballer
• 1983 – Roger Schneider, Swiss speed skater
• 1984 – Rahima Begum, English activist, co-founded Restless Beings
• 1984 – Bismarck du Plessis, South African rugby player
• 1984 – Laurence Halsted, English fencer
• 1984 – Karoline Herfurth, German actress
• 1984 – Peter Jungschläger, Dutch footballer
• 1984 – Daniel Woolard, American soccer player
• 1984 – Didier Ya Konan, Ivorian footballer
• 1985 – Gloria Asumnu, American-Nigerian sprinter
• 1985 – Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer
• 1985 – Mauro Boselli, Argentinian footballer
• 1985 – Chrissie Chau, Chinese actress and model
• 1985 – Francisco Dorronsoro, Spanish footballer
• 1985 – Idriss Ech-Chergui, French-Algerian footballer
• 1985 – Masoud, Iranian trance artist
• 1985 – Tao Okamoto, Japanese model and actress
• 1985 – Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Hideaki Takeda, Japanese footballer
• 1985 – Stuart Tomlinson, English footballer and wrestler
• 1986 – Julian Edelman, American football player
• 1986 – Luca Gentili, Italian footballer
• 1986 – Matt Jarvis, English footballer
• 1986 – Thanduyise Khuboni, South African footballer
• 1986 – Tatiana Volosozhar, Russian figure skater
• 1987 – Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player
• 1987 – Vladimir Granat, Russian footballer
• 1987 – José Luis Miñano, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Arturo Vidal, Chilean footballer
• 1988 – Anthony Andreu, French footballer
• 1988 – Chase Budinger, American basketball player
• 1988 – Pape M'Bow, Senegalese footballer
• 1988 – Markus Müller, German footballer
• 1988 – Vegard Skjerve, Norwegian footballer
• 1989 – Giordano Benedetti, Italian runner
• 1989 – Trevor Reckling, American baseball player
• 1990 – Alexandra Dowling, English actress
• 1990 – Anne-Julia Hagen, German model, Miss Germany 2010
• 1990 – Melanie Klaffner, Austrian tennis player
• 1990 – Mikk Reintam, Estonian footballer
• 1990 – Wyatt Roy, Australian politician
• 1991 – Kyle Bartley, English footballer
• 1991 – José Higón, Spanish footballer
• 1991 – Kentin Mahé, French handball player
• 1991 – Joel Obi, Nigerian footballer
• 1991 – Odise Roshi, Albanian footballer
• 1991 – Suho, South Korean singer (Exo)
• 1992 – Doug Armstrong, English blogger
• 1992 – Tommaso Cancellotti, Italian footballer
• 1992 – Robin Knoche, German footballer
• 1992 – Camille Lou, French singer and actress
• 1992 – Chinami Tokunaga, Japanese singer (Berryz Kobo and ZYX)
• 1993 – Philipp Knochner, German footballer
• 1993 – Lance Serrano, Filipino actor and model
• 1993 – Joe Wise, American swimmer
• 1994 – Jake McGing, Australian footballer
• 1999 – Camren Bicondova, American actress, dancer, and model

Deaths

• 192 – Dong Zhuo, Chinese warlord and politician (b. 138)
• 337 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (b. 272)
• 748 – Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 683)
• 1068 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (b. 1025)
• 1455 – Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1406)
• 1455 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English commander (b. 1393)
• 1457 – Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (b. 1381)
• 1490 – Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (b. 1416)
• 1553 – Giovanni Bernardi, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1494)
• 1538 – John Forest, English friar and martyr (b. 1471)
• 1540 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (b. 1483)
• 1602 – Renata of Lorraine (b. 1544)
• 1609 – Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (b. 1573)
• 1666 – Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1608)
• 1667 – Pope Alexander VII (b. 1599)
• 1745 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (b. 1671)
• 1760 – Baal Shem Tov, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1700)
• 1772 – Durastante Natalucci, Italian historian and academic (b. 1687)
• 1795 – Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg, Prussian politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (b. 1725)
• 1802 – Martha Washington, American wife of George Washington, 1st First Lady of the United States (b. 1731)
• 1851 – Mordecai Manuel Noah, American journalist and diplomat (b. 1755)
• 1859 – Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (b. 1810)
• 1861 – Thornsbury Bailey Brown, American soldier (b. 1829)
• 1868 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
• 1885 – Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1802)
• 1901 – Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (b. 1869)
• 1910 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (b. 1864)
• 1932 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Irish playwright, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (b. 1852)
• 1933 – Tsengeltiin Jigjidjav, Mongolian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1894)
• 1938 – William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
• 1939 – Ernst Toller, German playwright and author (b. 1893)
• 1939 – Jiří Mahen, Czech author and playwright (b. 1882)
• 1947 – Edwin Hedley, American rower (b. 1864)
• 1953 – Bob Wilder, American racing driver (b. 1921)
• 1954 – Chief Bender, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1884)
• 1965 – Christopher Stone, English radio host (b. 1882)
• 1966 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)
• 1967 – Langston Hughes, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1902)
• 1972 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Irish-English poet and author (b. 1904)
• 1972 – Margaret Rutherford, English actress (b. 1892)
• 1975 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (b. 1900)
• 1975 – Torben Meyer, Danish actor (b. 1884)
• 1982 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (b. 1899)
• 1983 – Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
• 1983 – Clara Østø, Danish actress and director (b. 1911)
• 1985 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (b. 1909)
• 1986 – Umar al-Tilmisani, Egyptian religious leader
• 1988 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1914)
• 1989 – Steven De Groote, South African pianist and educator (b. 1953)
• 1990 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (b. 1922)
• 1991 – Shripad Amrit Dange, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1899)
• 1991 – Stan Mortensen, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 1992 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and academic (b. 1909)
• 1993 – Mieczysław Horszowski, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1892)
• 1997 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
• 1997 – Renzo Montagnani, Italian actor (b. 1930)
• 1998 – John Derek, American actor, director, and photographer (b. 1926)
• 1998 – José Enrique Moyal, Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1910)
• 2000 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Ousmane Zongo, Burkinabe-American arts trader (b. 1960)
• 2004 – Richard Biggs, American actor (b. 1960)
• 2004 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (b. 1945)
• 2005 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (b. 1914)
• 2005 – Julia Randall, American poet and academic (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Heather Crowe, Canadian waitress and activist (b. 1945)
• 2006 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (b. 1945)
• 2007 – Pemba Doma Sherpa, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1970)
• 2008 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (b. 1946)
• 2010 – Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (b. 1914)
• 2010 – Lwandile Zwelenkosi Matanzima, South African clan leader (b. 1970)
• 2011 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Muzafar Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1970)
• 2012 – Wesley A. Brown, American lieutenant and engineer (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (b. 1940)
• 2012 – Shiu-Ying Hu, Chinese botanist and academic (b. 1910)
• 2012 – Flinder Anderson Khonglam, Indian physician and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Meghalaya (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Dave Mann, American-Canadian football player (b. 1932)
• 2012 – John Moores, Jr., English businessman and academic (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Bill Austin, American football player and coach (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Mick McManus, English wrestler (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Lee Rigby, English soldier and drummer (b. 1987)
• 2013 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Ibragim Todashev, Russian-American mixed martial artist (b. 1985)
• 2014 – Sergio Bustamante, Mexican actor (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Matthew Cowles, American actor and playwright (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Imre Gedővári, Hungarian fencer (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Dragoljub Velimirović, Serbian chess player (b. 1942)
• 2015 – Marques Haynes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Vladimir Katriuk, Ukrainian-Canadian SS officer (b. 1921)
• 2015 – John Mosley, American football player and coach (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Aminah Robinson, American sculptor and illustrator (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Abolition Day (Martinique)
• Christian feast day:
  • Castus and Emilius
  • Fulk
  • Humilita
  • Michael Hồ Đình Hy (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
  • Quiteria
  • Rita of Cascia
  • Romanus of Subiaco
  • May 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Harvey Milk Day (California)
• International Day for Biological Diversity (International)
• National Maritime Day (United States)
• National Sovereignty Day (Haiti)
• Republic Day (Sri Lanka)
• Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari (Ukraine)
• Unity Day, celebrates the unification of North and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
• World Goth Day

External links

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