May 29: On This Day

Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for May 29.

Events 65

363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
526 – A catastrophic earthquake hits Antioch, killing several thousands including patriarch Euphrasius.
757 – Election of pope Paul I following the death of pope Stephen II in the previous month.
1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez.
1138 – Antipope Victor IV gives up his claim to the papacy due to the instigation of Bernard of Clairvaux.
1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel.
1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
1233 – Mongol–Jin war: The Mongols enter Kaifeng after a successful siege and begin looting in the fallen capital of the Jin dynasty.
1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
1416 – Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli.
1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Roman Empire after over 2,000 years.
1555 – The Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire sign a peace treaty to end the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1532–1555.
1658 – Battle of Samugarh: Decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).
1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1733 – The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Waxhaws Massacre, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America's original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.
1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
1807 – Mustafa IV becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
1825 – The Coronation of Charles X of France takes place in Reims Cathedral, the last-ever coronation of a French monarch.
1851 – Sojourner Truth delivers her famous Ain't I a Woman? speech at the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.
1852 – Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.
1900 – N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil.
1903 – In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a near-riot.
1914 – The ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.
1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad.
1919 – Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.
1920 – The Louth flood of 1920, a severe flash flood in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth, results in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in the United Kingdom during the 20th century.
1931 – Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by a Royal Italian Army firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
1935 – First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aeroplane.
1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
1947 – United Airlines Flight 521 crashes at LaGuardia Airport, killing 43.
1948 – United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.
1962 – Chinese police open fire on protesters in Yining, Xinjiang, killing at least five people and wounding a dozen others.
1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
1964 – Having deposed them in a January coup South Vietnamese leader Nguyễn Khánh has rival Generals Trần Văn Đôn and Lê Văn Kim convicted of "lax morality".
1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
1974 – SETA, a Finnish LGBT rights organisation, is founded in Helsinki.
1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
1982 – Falklands War: The British Army defeats the Argentine Army at the Battle of Goose Green.
1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
1988 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1989 – Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States that allows for the manufacture of F-16 Falcon parts in Egypt.
1990 – The Congress of People's Deputies of Russia elects Boris Yeltsin as President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
1993 – The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
2001 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
2004 – The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
2005 – France rejects the Constitution of the European Union in a national referendum.
2008 – A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
2012 – A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.
2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.
2020 – An oil spill in Norilsk releases 17,500 tons of diesel oil into nearby rivers.
2021 – A Cessna Citation I/SP crashes into Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee, killing all six people on board, including actor Joe Lara and his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara.
2022 – Tara Air Flight 197 crashes in Nepal's Mustang District, killing 22.

Births 228

1421 – Charles, Prince of Viana (died 1461)
1443 – Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, Reichsgraf, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, Count of Glatz (died 1500)
1504 – Antun Vrančić, Croatian archbishop (died 1573)
1555 – George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes, English general and administrator (died 1629)
1568 – Virginia de' Medici, Italian princess (died 1615)
1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (died 1632)
1627 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (died 1693)
1630 – Charles II of England (died 1685)
1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician and philosopher (died 1715)
1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist (died 1800)
1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish soldier and politician (died 1773)
1730 – Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer (died 1803)
1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (died 1799)
1780 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (died 1855)
1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer and selenographer (died 1874)
1797 – Louise-Adéone Drölling, French painter (died 1836)
1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor (died 1895)
1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (died 1909)
1871 – Clark Voorhees, American painter (died 1933)
1873 – Rudolf Tobias, Estonian organist and composer (died 1918)
1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, and playwright (died 1936)
1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (died 1936)
1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Swiss-Argentinian poet and author (died 1938)
1893 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (died 1944)
1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-English actress, singer and writer (died 1989)
1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1969)
1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Czech-American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1957)
1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Defence (died 1987)
1902 – Harry Kadwell, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 1999)
1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer (died 2003)
1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian cyclist and politician (died 1996)
1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (died 1994)
1906 – T. H. White, Indian-English author (died 1964)
1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (died 2002)
1908 – Diana Morgan, Welsh-English playwright and screenwriter (died 1996)
1910 – Aleksandr Laktionov, Soviet painter (died 1972)
1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (died 1978)
1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (died 1997)
1914 – Stacy Keach Sr., American actor (died 2003)
1914 – Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (died 1986)
1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor and composer (died 1990)
1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (died 1963)
1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian, author, and academic (died 2011)
1919 – Jacques Genest, Canadian physician and academic (died 2018)
1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2000)
1920 – Clifton James, American actor (died 2017)
1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (died 2010)
1922 – Edith Roger, Norwegian dancer and choreographer (died 2023)
1922 – Joe Weatherly, American race car driver (died 1964)
1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, engineer, and theorist (died 2001)
1923 – Bernard Clavel, French author (died 2010)
1923 – John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon (died 2015)
1923 – Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist (died 2020)
1924 – Lars Bo, Danish author and illustrator (died 1999)
1924 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (died 2013)
1924 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (died 2013)
1926 – Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress and television host (died 2018)
1926 – Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Queen Consort of Tonga (died 2017)
1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese academic and politician, 3rd President of Senegal
1927 – Jean Coutu, Canadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu Group
1928 – Freddie Redd, American jazz pianist and composer (died 2021)
1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher and academic (died 2023)
1929 – Peter Higgs, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2024)
1929 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2014)
1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author (died 2026)
1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player and coach
1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor and educator (died 2026)
1933 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (died 2005)
1934 – Bill Vander Zalm, Dutch-Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Premier of British Columbia
1935 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (died 2015)
1935 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer and producer (died 2011)
1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American lawyer and judge
1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German keyboard player and composer
1937 – Alwin Schockemöhle, German show-jumper
1937 – Harry Statham, American basketball player and coach
1938 – Christopher Bland, English businessman and politician (died 2017)
1938 – Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman, 8th Commissioner of Baseball (died 2025)
1939 – Pete Smith, Australian radio and television announcer
1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver (died 2021)
1940 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (died 2013)
1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (died 2010)
1941 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer and author (died 2020)
1941 – Bob Simon, American journalist (died 2015)
1942 – Pierre Bourque, Canadian businessman and politician, 40th Mayor of Montreal
1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor and director (died 2020)
1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (died 2013)
1944 – Bob Benmosche, American businessman (died 2015)
1944 – Quentin Davies, English soldier and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (died 2025)
1945 – Gary Brooker, English singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2022)
1945 – Peter Fraser, Baron Fraser of Carmyllie, Scottish lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (died 2013)
1945 – Julian Le Grand, English economist and author
1945 – Martin Pipe, English jockey and trainer
1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
1945 – Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian scholar and author (died 2018)
1946 – Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (died 2000)
1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor (died 2025)
1948 – Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host
1948 – Keith Gull, English microbiologist and academic
1949 – Robert Axelrod, American actor and screenwriter (died 2019)
1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer and manager
1949 – Francis Rossi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American singer and actress
1951 – Larry Blackmon, American singer-songwriter and producer
1953 – Danny Elfman, American film composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer and educator
1954 – Jerry Moran, American lawyer and politician
1955 – Frank Baumgartl, German runner (died 2010)
1955 – John Hinckley Jr., American attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan
1955 – David Kirschner, American animator, producer, and author
1955 – Gordon Rintoul, Scottish historian and curator
1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver and sportscaster
1956 – Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
1957 – Steven Croft, English bishop and theologian
1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American lawyer and politician
1957 – Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film director
1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (died 2011)
1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer and coach
1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor and novelist
1959 – Mel Gaynor, English drummer
1959 – Steve Hanley, Irish-English bass player and songwriter
1960 – Thomas Baumer, Swiss economist and academic
1960 – Mike Freer, English politician
1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
1961 – John Miceli, American drummer
1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singaporean footballer, coach, and manager
1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
1962 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish weather presenter
1962 – Chloé Sainte-Marie, Canadian actress and singer
1963 – Blaze Bayley, English singer-songwriter
1963 – Zhu Jianhua, Chinese high jumper
1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese race car driver
1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
1964 – Howard Mills III, American academic and politician
1964 – Oswaldo Negri Jr., Brazilian race car driver
1966 – Natalie Nougayrède, French journalist
1967 – Noel Gallagher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist, author, and academic
1968 – Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
1968 – Jessica Morden, English politician
1968 – Hida Viloria, American activist
1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian journalist
1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer and manager
1971 – Éric Lucas, Canadian boxer
1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German race car driver
1971 – Filipa Pinto, Portuguese politician
1971 – Jo Beth Taylor, Australian television host and actress
1971 – Rob Womack, English shot putter and discus thrower
1972 – Laverne Cox, American actress and LGBT advocate
1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player and coach
1972 – Simon Jones, English singer and bass player
1972 – John Simon, Australian rugby league player
1973 – Tomoko Kaneda, Japanese voice actress, singer, and radio personality
1973 – Mark Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
1973 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio and television host
1974 – Steve Cardenas, American martial artist and retired actor
1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player and coach
1974 – Aaron McGruder, American author and cartoonist
1974 – Jenny Willott, English politician
1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and executive producer
1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer and manager
1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player and sportscaster
1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
1976 – Yegor Titov, Russian footballer
1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
1977 – Marco Cassetti, Italian footballer
1977 – António Lebo Lebo, Angolan footballer
1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
1978 – Adam Rickitt, English singer
1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
1979 – Brian Kendrick, American wrestler
1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player (died 2017)
1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentinian footballer
1981 – Andrey Arshavin, Russian footballer
1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete
1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
1982 – Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball player
1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
1984 – Nia Jax, Australian-American professional wrestler
1984 – Funmi Jimoh, American long jumper
1984 – Dhar Mann, American entrepreneur, film producer and YouTuber
1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
1984 – Ina Wroldsen, Norwegian singer and songwriter
1985 – Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 – Lina Andrijauskaitė, Lithuanian long jumper
1987 – Jon Holland, Australian cricketer
1987 – Issac Luke, New Zealand rugby league player
1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer (died 2019)
1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor, musician, producer, and screenwriter
1987 – Rui Sampaio, Portuguese footballer
1988 – Muath Al-Kasasbeh, Jordanian captain and pilot (died 2015)
1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
1988 – Tobin Heath, American soccer player
1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
1989 – Ezekiel Ansah, Ghanaian-American football player
1989 – Diego Barisone, Argentinian footballer (died 2015)
1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
1990 – Joe Biagini, American baseball pitcher
1990 – Erica Garner, American civil rights activist (died 2017)
1991 – Yaime Perez, Cuban discus thrower
1991 – Tan Zhongyi, Women's World Chess Champion, 2017–2018
1992 – Sarah Moundir, Swiss tennis player
1992 – Gregg Sulkin, English actor
1993 – Jana Čepelová, Slovak tennis player
1993 – Maika Monroe, American actress and kiteboarder
1993 – Grete Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
1995 – Konosuke Takeshita, Japanese professional wrestler
1997 – Tyler Nevin, American baseball player
1998 – Markelle Fultz, American basketball player
1998 – Austin Reaves, American basketball player
1999 – Park Ji-hoon, South Korean actor and singer
2000 – Gennaro Nigro, American soccer player
2000 – Adam Zdrójkowski, Polish actor and television presenter
2001 – Puka Nacua, American football player
2001 – Andrew Torgashev, American figure skater
2002 – Paul Skenes, American baseball player
2006 – Gukesh Dommaraju, Indian chess player

Deaths 112

931 – Jimeno Garcés of Pamplona
1040 – Renauld I, Count of Nevers
1259 – Christopher I of Denmark (born 1219)
1311 – James II of Majorca (born 1243)
1320 – Pope John VIII of Alexandria, Coptic pope
1327 – Jens Grand, Danish archbishop (born c. 1260)
1379 – Henry II of Castile (born 1334)
1405 – Philippe de Mézières, French soldier and author (born 1327)
1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (born 1378)
1453 – Ulubatlı Hasan, Ottoman commander (born 1428)
1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (born 1404)
1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer and navigator (born 1451)
1500 – Thomas Rotherham, English cleric and minister (born 1423)
1546 – David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1494)
1593 – John Penry, Welsh martyr (born 1559)
1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1615)
1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (born 1629)
1790 – Israel Putnam, American general (born 1718)
1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (born 1720)
1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, French empress, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (born 1763)
1829 – Humphry Davy, English-Swiss chemist and academic (born 1778)
1847 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (born 1766)
1862 – Franz Mirecki, Polish composer, music conductor, and music teacher (born 1791)
1866 – Winfield Scott, American general, lawyer, and politician (born 1786)
1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (born 1870)
1892 – Bahá'u'lláh, Persian religious leader, founded the Baháʼí Faith (born 1817)
1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (born 1814)
1903 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the Château Frontenac and American Surety Building (born 1845)
1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1837)
1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and poet (born 1836)
1919 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (born 1860)
1921 – Abbott Handerson Thayer, American painter and educator (born 1849)
1935 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (born 1874)
1939 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Austrian-Polish nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (born 1865)
1941 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (born 1892)
1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (born 1882)
1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer, commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, executed war criminal (born 1905)
1948 – May Whitty, English actress (born 1865)
1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer and comedian (born 1891)
1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier and composer (born 1885)
1957 – James Whale, English director (born 1889)
1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1881)
1968 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (born 1896)
1970 – John Gunther, American journalist and author (born 1901)
1970 – Eva Hesse, American artist (born 1936)
1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player, coach, and spy (born 1902)
1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (born 1878)
1973 – George Harriman, English businessman (born 1908)
1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (born 1893)
1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founder of United Artists (born 1892)
1981 – Nina Negri, Argentine-French painter and engraver (born 1901)
1982 – Romy Schneider, German-French actress (born 1938)
1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Latvian-Russian historian and politician (born 1899)
1987 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (born 1902)
1988 – Salem bin Laden, Saudi Arabian businessman (born 1946)
1989 – George C. Homans, American sociologist and academic (born 1910)
1991 – Margaret Barr (choreographer), Australian choreographer and teacher of dance-drama (born 1904)
1992 – Rogério Lemgruber, Brazilian criminal, founder of Comando Vermelho (born 1952)
1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (born 1917)
1994 – Erich Honecker, German lawyer and politician, leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (born 1912)
1994 – Lady May Abel Smith, member of the British Royal Family (born 1906)
1996 – Tamara Toumanova, American ballerina and actress (born 1919)
1997 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1966)
1998 – Barry Goldwater, American general, activist, and politician (born 1909)
2003 – David Jefferies, English motorcycle racer (born 1972)
2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (born 1912)
2004 – Samuel Dash, American academic and politician (born 1925)
2005 – John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (born 1937)
2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African surgeon (born 1926)
2005 – George Rochberg, American soldier and composer (born 1918)
2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (born 1930)
2006 – Katarína Kolníková, Slovak actress (born 1921)
2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1938)
2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian lawyer and politician (born 1927)
2008 – Paula Gunn Allen, American writer (born 1939)
2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987)
2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (born 1927)
2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1936)
2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (born 1949)
2011 – Bill Clements, American soldier and politician, 42nd Governor of Texas (born 1917)
2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 14th President of Hungary (born 1931)
2012 – Mark Minkov, Russian composer (born 1944)
2012 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912)
2012 – Doc Watson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1923)
2013 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (born 1940)
2013 – Françoise Blanchard, French actress (born 1954)
2013 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (born 1928)
2013 – Mulgrew Miller, American pianist and composer (born 1955)
2013 – Henry Morgentaler, Polish-Canadian physician and activist (born 1923)
2013 – Franca Rame, Italian actress and playwright (born 1928)
2013 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (born 1949)
2013 – Wali-ur-Rehman, Pakistani commander (born 1970)
2014 – Christine Charbonneau, Canadian singer-songwriter (born 1943)
2014 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (born 1939)
2014 – Peter Glaser, Czech-American scientist and engineer (born 1923)
2014 – Miljenko Prohaska, Croatian composer and conductor (born 1925)
2014 – William M. Roth, American businessman (born 1916)
2015 – Henry Carr, American football player and sprinter (born 1942)
2015 – Doris Hart, American tennis player (born 1925)
2015 – Betsy Palmer, American actress (born 1926)
2017 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (born 1934)
2017 – Mordechai Tzipori, Israeli Lieutenant General and minister (born 1924)
2017 – Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek politician and prime minister (born 1918)
2020 – Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (born 1959)
2021 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor, Christian activist, and author (born 1931)
2021 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1957)
2021 – B. J. Thomas, American singer (born 1942)
2021 – Cornelius Sim, Bruneian cardinal (born 1951)
2022 – Ronnie Hawkins, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist. (born 1935)
2022 – Sidhu Moosewala, Indian singer, rapper, actor and politician. (born 1993)
2024 – Bob Rogers, Australian radio and television host (born 1926)
2025 – Bernie Kerik, American police officer, 40th Police Commissioner of New York City and interior minister of the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority (born 1955)

Holidays and observances 18

Army Day (Argentina)
Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh (Baháʼí Faith) (Only if Baháʼí Naw-Rúz falls on March 21 of the Gregorian calendar)
Christian feast day: Bona of Pisa Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church) Joseph Gérard Maximin of Trier Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church) Pope Paul VI Richard Thirkeld Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church) Ursula Ledóchowska May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Bona of Pisa
Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Joseph Gérard
Maximin of Trier
Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Pope Paul VI
Richard Thirkeld
Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Ursula Ledóchowska
May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (International)
Oak Apple Day (England), and its related observance: Castleton Garland Day (Castleton)
Castleton Garland Day (Castleton)
Veterans Day (Sweden)
Democracy Day (Nigeria)