- 1527 Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and dealer in maps, books, and antiquities (Theatrum orbis terrarum), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1598)
- 1572 Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician and philosopher, born in Innsbruck, Austria (d. 1632)
- 1578 Philip III, King of Spain & Portugal (1598-1621), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 1621)
- 1592 Abraham Elsevier, Dutch book publisher, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1652)
- 1629 Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer (discovered Saturn's rings) and scientist (dynamics), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1695)
- 1668 Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish General and statesman, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1741)
- 1714 Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader, born in Muckhart, Perthshire (d. 1788)
- 1721 William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, English army leader, born in London (d. 1765)
William Cavendish-Bentinck
1738 William Cavendish-Bentinck, British 3rd Duke of Portland, Whig Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1783, 1807-09), born in Nottinghamshire, (d. 1809)
William Cavendish-Bentinck
- 1741 Emperor Momozono, 116th Emperor of Japan, born in Kyoto, Japan (d. 1762)
- 1762 Giuseppe Valadier, Italian architect and archaeologist, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1839)
- 1788 David G. Burnet, interim president of the Republic of Texas, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1870)
- 1797 Adolphe Thiers, 1st president of 3rd French Republic (1871-77), born in Bouc-Bel-Air, France (d. 1877)
- 1803 Friedrich von Amerling, Austrian painter, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1887)
- 1809 George Willem Vreede, Dutch lawyer and politician, born in Tilburg, Netherlands (d. 1880)
- 1813 Junius Spencer Morgan, American merchant and philanthropist (Metro Museum of Art), born in Holyoke, Massachusetts (d. 1890)
- 1818 Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover, born in Hildburghausen, Saxe-Hildburghausen (d. 1909)
- 1820 Harry T. Hays, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Wilson County, Tennessee (d. 1876)
- 1827 Augustus Pitt Rivers, English archaeologist, born in Bramham cum Oglethorpe, Wetherby, Yorkshire (d. 1900)
- 1831 Gerhard Rohlfs, German explorer and ambassador in Abyssinia, born in Vegesack, Bremen, Germany (d. 1896)
- 1832 James Hewett Ledlie, American civil engineer and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Utica, New York (d. 1882)
- 1857 Victor Horsley, English physician and neuroscientist, born in London (d. 1916)
- 1862 Pyotr Stolypin, 3rd Prime Minister of Russia (1906-11), born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, German Confederation (d. 1911)
- 1866 Anne Sullivan [Johanna Macy], American teacher who educated Helen Keller, born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts (d. 1936)
- 1868 Peter Behrens, German architect, born in Hamburg, North German Confederation (d. 1940)
- 1870 Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter, born in Saratov, Russia (d. 1905)
- 1872 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, British-Indian Islamic scholar and translator (translated Qu'ran into English), born in Bombay, British India (d. 1953)
- 1874 Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, Governor-General of the Union of South Africa and Canada, born in Kensington Palace, London (d. 1957)
- 1876 Cecil Chubb, English barrister, gifted Stonehenge to the British nation, born in Shrewton (d. 1934)
- 1877 Daniel Plooy, Dutch new testament scholar, born in Schiedam, Netherlands (d. 1935)
- 1879 James Branch Cabell, American novelist and essayist (Restless Heads), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1958)
- 1882 Moritz Schlick, Austrian philosopher, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1936)
- 1886 Edward C. Tolman, American psychologist (behaviorism), born in West Newton, Massachusetts (d. 1959)
- 1886 Ernst Robert Curtius, German literature historian, born in Thann, Haut-Rhin (d. 1956)
Arnold J. Toynbee
1889 Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian (A Study of History), born in London (d. 1975)
Arnold J. Toynbee
B.R. Ambedkar
1891 B.R. Ambedkar [Baba Saheb], Indian politician, jurist (architect of the Constitution of India) and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement, born in Mhow, India (d. 1956)
B.R. Ambedkar
- 1892 V. Gordon Childe, British archaeologist and prehistorian, born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1957)
- 1897 Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger, British sociologist and criminologist, born in Cambridge, England (d. 1988)
- 1901 Martin Kessel, German writer, born in Plauen (d. 1990)
- 1902 Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Russian-American rabbi (head of Lubavitcher Jews), born in Nikolaev, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1994)
- 1904 Reinout Willem van Bemmelen, Dutch geologist, born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1983)
- 1904 Sonia Gaskell, Russian-Dutch choreographer (Diaghilev), born in Vilkaviškis, Lithuania (d. 1974)
- 1905 Elizabeth Huckaby, American educator, born in Hamburg, Arkansas (d. 1999)
Faisal of Saudia Arabia
1906 Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia (1964-75), born in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd and Hasa (d. 1975)
- 1907 François Duvalier "Papa Doc", Dictator of Haiti (1957-71), born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (d. 1971)
- 1907 Otto Frans Antoine Hubert van Nispen, Dutch mayor (Pannerden), born in Pannerden, Netherlands (d. 1992)
- 1912 Robert Doisneau, French photographer (The Kiss), born in Gentilly, Val-de-Marne, France (d. 1994)
- 1921 Thomas Schelling, American economist, (Nobel Prize 2005 - game-theory analysis), born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
- 1921 Rosanell Eaton, American voting rights advocate, born near Louisburg, North Carolina (d. 2018)
- 1925 Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979-80), born in Umtali, Manicaland, Southern Rhodesia (d. 1979)
- 1926 Frank Daniel, Czech-born writer, director and teacher (d. 1996)
- 1929 William Edgar Thornton, Faison NC, MD/astronaut (STS-8, 51-B, sk:49)
- 1930 George W Gekas, (Rep-R-PA, 1983- )
- 1932 William R. Bennett, Premier of British Columbia
- 1934 Fredric Jameson, American philosopher, cultural theorist
- 1935 Erich von Däniken, Zofingen, Aargau, Swiss writer (Chariots of the Gods)
- 1936 Frank Serpico, American policeman
- 1938 Gloria [Dean] Randle Scott, American educator/pres (Beaumont College)
- 1941 Anatoli Pavlocich Fyodorov, cosmonaut
- 1942 Valentin Vitaliyevich Lebedev, cosmonaut (Soyuz 13, 35, T-5)
- 1942 Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician
- 1943 Clarice Elaine Gaylord, director of research grants (EPA)
- 1943 Yvonne Vriens-Auerbach, Dutch politician (CDA)
- 1945 Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
- 1946 Tom Monteleone, American writer (Dark Star & Illumination)
- 1948 Chester G Atkins, (Rep-D-MA)
- 1948 Ty Grimes, rocker (Capt Beefheart Band Drums
- 1948 Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician
- 1949 DeAnne Julius, American/English economist
- 1950 Francis Collins, American scientist
- 1951 Gregory "Greg" Winter, British biochemist (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018) known for the therapeutic use of antibodies, born in Leicester, England
- 1953 Irina Rudolfovna Pronina, Russian cosmonaut
- 1953 David Buss, Evolutionary psychologist
- 1954 Bruce Sterling, American sci-fi author (Involution Ocean, Schismatrix)
- 1963 Thomas W. Libous, American politician (Senate-R-New York 1989-2015) brought down by scandal, born in Johnson City, New York (d. 2016)
- 1966 André Boisclair, Quebec politician (Parti Québécois)
- 1969 Vebjørn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
- 1971 Peter Gibson, American writer, born in Greenwich, Connecticut
- 1975 Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist (longest UFC title streak at 2,547 days), born in São Paulo, Brazil
- 1979 Randal McCloy, Survivor of the Sago Mine Disaster
- 1983 William Obeng, American football offensive lineman, born in Accra, Ghana
April in History
![Hallelujah! Music That Moved a King]()
Hallelujah! Music That Moved a King
Few can fail to be moved by Handel's Messiah oratorio, culminating in the Hallelujah Chorus. It was even said to have brought a king to his feet.
April 13, 1742![Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic]()
Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic
The Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on this day in history. She took with her to the bottom of the sea some of the world’s richest people.
April 15, 1912![Madame Tussaud's Bloody Background]()
Madame Tussaud's Bloody Background
Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks, perfected her art in the grimmest of 'schools' – the French Revolution - where she made models of guillotined heads.
April 16, 1850![Boxing Match That Went for 42 Rounds]()
Boxing Match That Went for 42 Rounds
The first "world championship" boxing match was a brutal affair, lasting nearly two and a half hours and stretching over 42 rounds.
April 17, 1860
