Events
- 1500 - Portuguese navigator Pedro Ãlvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
- 1509 - Henry VIII ascends the throne of England after the death of his father.
- 1529 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues or 17° east of the Moluccas.
- 1836 - Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto forces under Texas General Sam Houston capture Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins – troops under Union Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
- 1864 - The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act which mandates that the inscription "In God We Trust" be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
- 1876 - The Boston Red Stockings defeat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in the first National League Baseball game
- 1889 - At high noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Run of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
- 1898 - Spanish-American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports and the USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
- 1912 - Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publications in Saint Petersburg.
- 1915 - The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
- 1930 - The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
- 1944 - World War II: Operation Persecution initiated – Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
- 1945 - World War II: Prisoners of Jasenovac concentration camp revolted. 520 were killed and 80 escaped.
- 1945 - World War II: After learning that Soviet forces have taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admits defeat in his underground bunker and states that suicide is his only recourse.
- 1954 - Red Scare: Army-McCarthy Hearings begin.
- 1964 - The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opens for its first season.
- 1970 - First Earth Day celebrated.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts antiwar protests in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
- 1983 - The German magazine, Der Stern claims that Adolf Hitler's diaries were found in a wreckage in East Germany.
- 1992 - 1992 explosion in Guadalajara, Mexico ; 206 people were killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 were left homeless
- 1993 - The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC is dedicated.
- 1993 - The web browser Mosaic version 1.0 is released.
- 1997 - Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria; 93 villagers killed.
- 1997 - The Japanese embassy hostage crisis ends in Lima, Peru.
- 1998 - Disney's Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
- 2000 - In a predawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida.
- 2000 - The Big Number Change takes place in the United Kingdom.
- 2004 - Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
- 2006 - 243 people were injured in pro-democracy protest in Nepal after Nepali security forces opened fire on protesters against King Gyanendra.
- 2006 - Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst single day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.
- 1451 - Queen Isabella of Castile and Leon (d. 1504)
- 1610 - Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
- 1658 - Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer (d. 1709)
- 1690 - John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (d. 1763)
- 1692 - James Stirling, Scottish mathematician (d. 1770)
- 1707 - Henry Fielding, English author (d. 1754)
- 1711 - Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (d. 1779)
- 1724 - Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (d. 1804)
- 1744 - James Sullivan, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
- 1766 - Madame de Staël, French author (d. 1817)
- 1812 - Solomon Caesar Malan, British orientalist (d. 1894)
- 1816 - Charles Denis Bourbaki, French general
- 1832 - Julius Sterling Morton, Arbor Day founder (d. 1902
- 1840 - Odilon Redon, French painter (d. 1916)
- 1844 - Lewis Thornton Powell, would-be assassin of Secretary of State William H. Seward (d. 1865)
- 1852 - Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
- 1854 - Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1943)
- 1860 - Ada Rehan, American stage actress (d. 1916)
- 1868 - Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (d. 1924)
- 1870 - Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary (d. 1924)
- 1872 - Princess Margaret of Prussia, queen of Finland (d. 1954)
- 1873 - Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
- 1876 - Robert Bárány, American physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1936)
- 1876 - Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler (d. 1920)
- 1881 - Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d. 1970)
- 1884 - Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist (d. 1939)
- 1889 - Richard Glücks, German SS officer and concentration camp administrator (d. 1945, by suicide)
- 1891 - Harold Jeffreys, English astronomer (d. 1989)
- 1891 - Nicola Sacco, American anarchist (d. 1927)
- 1891 - Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
- 1899 - Vladimir Nabokov, Russian writer (d. 1977)
- 1904 - Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist (d. 1967)
- 1905 - Robert Choquette, French Canadian novelist, poet and diplomat (d. 1991)
- 1906 - Eddie Albert, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1906 - Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, second in line to the Swedish throne (d. 1946)
- 1907 - Ivan Efremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
- 1909 - Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist, Nobel laureate
- 1909 - Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
- 1910 - Norman Steenrod, American mathematician (d. 1971)
- 1912 - Kathleen Ferrier, British singer (d. 1953)
- 1914 - Jan de Hartog, Dutch writer (d. 2002)
- 1914 - Michael Wittman, German soldier and tank ace (d. 1944)
- 1916 - Yehudi Menuhin, American-born violinist (d. 1999)
- 1918 - Mickey Vernon, baseball player
- 1919 - Donald J. Cram, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2001)
- 1922 - Charles Mingus, American musician (d. 1979)
- 1922 - Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist (d. 1973)
- 1923 - Avis Bunnage, English actress (d. 1990)
- 1923 - Bettie Page, American model
- 1923 - Aaron Spelling, American television producer (d. 2006)
- 1925 - George Cole, English actor
- 1926 - Charlotte Rae, American actress
- 1926 - James Stirling, British architect (d. 1992)
- 1927 - Laurel Aitken, Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
- 1935 - Paul Chambers, American jazz bassist (d. 1969)
- 1936 - Glen Campbell, American musician
- 1936 - Pierre Hétu, French Canadian conductor and pianist (d. 1998)
- 1937 - Jack Nicholson, American actor
- 1937 - Jack Nitzsche, American composer (d. 2000)
- 1939 - Mel Carter, American singer
- 1939 - Jason Miller, American playwright (d. 2001)
- 1939 - Theodor Waigel, German politician and finance minister
- 1943 - Louise Glück, American poet and 12th US Poet Laureate
- 1944 - Steve Fossett, American adventurer (d. 2007)
- 1946 - John Waters, American film writer
- 1946 - Louise Harel, Quebec politician
- 1946 - Nicole Garcia, French actress and director
- 1946 - Steven L. Bennett, USAF Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1972)
- 1950 - Peter Frampton, English musician
- 1950 - Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings
- 1951 - Paul Carrack, English musician
- 1951 - Ana MarÃa Shua, Argentine poet
- 1952 - Marilyn Chambers, American actress
- 1952 - François Berléand, French actor
- 1953 - Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer
- 1955 - Johnnie To, Hong Kong film director and producer
- 1957 - Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister
- 1958 - Ken Olandt, American actor
- 1959 - Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
- 1959 - Ryan Stiles, Canadian-born actor
- 1960 - Gary Rhodes, English chef
- 1960 - Randall L. Stephenson, American business executive
- 1962 - Jeff Minter, English video game programmer
- 1965 - Lauri Hendler, actress
- 1965 - Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 - Mariana Levy, Mexican actress (d. 2005)
- 1966 - Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
- 1967 - Sheryl Lee, American actress
- 1967 - Harvey Williams, American football player
- 1968 - Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 - Dion Dublin, English footballer
- 1970 - Andrea Giani, Italian volleyball player
- 1970 - Regine Velasquez, Filipino singer and actress
- 1971 - Daisuke Enomoto, Japanese people space tourist
- 1972 - Owen Finegan, Australian rugby union footballer
- 1973 - Adem Poric, Australian former footballer
- 1973 - Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer
- 1974 - Diego Costa, Brazilian Singer-Songwriter Co-founder of CultureMachine
- 1974 - Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-born bassist (System of a Down)
- 1975 - Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
- 1975 - Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
- 1976 - Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
- 1976 - Paul Henderson, Australian soccer player
- 1976 - Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
- 1977 - Aaron Fink, American guitarist (Breaking Benjamin)
- 1978 - Jason Stollsteimer, American singer (The Von Bondies)
- 1978 - Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
- 1979 - Daniel Johns, Australian musician (Silverchair)
- 1980 - Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
- 1980 - Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1980 - Courtney Friel, presenter of World Poker Tour
- 1981 - Ken Dorsey, American football player
- 1981 - Ben Scott, English Cricketer
- 1982 - Kaká, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 - Tim Hamilton, Slovak adult movie actor
- 1983 - Matt Jones, American football player
- 1984 - Michelle Ryan, English actress
- 1984 - Amelle Berrabah, British singer (Sugababes)
- 1986 - Dusan Sakota, Serbian-Greek basketball player
- 1986 - Marshawn Lynch, American Football player
- 296 - Pope Caius
- 455 - Petronius Maximus, Roman Emperor
- 536 - Pope Agapetus I
- 1592 - Bartolomeo Ammanati, Italian architect (b. 1511)
- 1672 - Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet (b. 1598)
- 1699 - Hans Erasmus Aßmann, Freiherr von Abschatz, German statesman (b. 1646)
- 1758 - Antoine de Jussieu, French naturalist (b. 1686)
- 1778 - James Hargreaves, English inventor (b. 1720)
- 1806 - Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (stabbed) (b. 1763)
- 1833 - Richard Trevithick, English inventor (b. 1771)
- 1839 - Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (b. 1784)
- 1854 - Nicolás Bravo, Mexican politician and soldier (b. 1786)
- 1877 - James P. Kirkwood, American civil engineer (b. 1807)
- 1892 - Edouard Lalo, French composer (b. 1823)
- 1893 - Chaim Aronson, inventor and academic (b. 1825)
- 1896 - Thomas Meik, British civil engineer (b. 1812)
- 1908 - Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
- 1925 - André Caplet, French composer (b. 1878)
- 1929 - Henry Lerolle, French painter (b. 1848)
- 1930 - Jeppe Aakjaer, Danish poet (b. 1866)
- 1933 - Henry Royce, British automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)
- 1945 - Käthe Kollwitz, German artist (b. 1867)
- 1945 - Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician (b. 1900)
- 1946 - Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1872)
- 1946 - Lionel Atwill, English Actor (b. 1885)
- 1951 - Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (b. 1870)
- 1968 - Stephen H. Sholes, American recording executive (b. 1911)
- 1978 - Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
- 1980 - Jane Froman, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1980 - Fritz Strassmann, German physicist (b. 1902)
- 1983 - Earl "Fatha" Hines, American jazz pianist (b. 1903)
- 1983 - John Louis Evans, convicted murderer (executed) (b. 1950)
- 1984 - Ansel Adams, American photographer (b. 1902)
- 1985 - Paul H. Emmett, American chemical engineer (b. 1900)
- 1985 - Jacques Ferron, French Canadian physician, author and politician (b. 1921)
- 1986 - Mircea Eliade, Romanian writer (b. 1907)
- 1988 - Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
- 1990 - Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1994 - Richard Nixon, President of the United States (b. 1913)
- 1995 - Maggie Kuhn, American activist (b. 1905)
- 1996 - Erma Bombeck, American humorist (b. 1927)
- 1996 - Harold "Jug" McSpaden, American professional golfer (b. 1908)
- 1998 - Kitch Christie, South African rugby coach (b. 1940)
- 1999 - Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek singer (b. 1938)
- 2002 - Linda Lovelace, American adult actress (b. 1949)
- 2003 - Martha Griffiths, U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1912)
- 2003 - Michael Larrabee, American athlete (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
- 2004 - Pat Tillman, American football player and U.S. Army Ranger (killed in action) (b. 1976)
- 2004 - Jason L. Dunham, American Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
- 2005 - Norman Bird, UK character actor (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Robert Farnon, Canadian-born composer and conductor (b. 1917)
- 2005 - Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
- 2005 - Philip Morrison, American physicist (b. 1915)
- 2006 - Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
- 2007 - Juanita Millender-McDonald, congresswoman from southern California (b. 1938)
- Earth Day
- Brazil - Discovery Day
- Abel McAedh
- Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions
- April 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
