- 1488 Ulrich von Hutten, German scholar and poet, born in Schlüchtern, Hesse
- 1555 Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter, born in Bologna, Italy (d. 1619)
- 1619 Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Colony (Cape Town), born in Culemborg (d. 1677)
- 1651 Joseph Vaz, Oratorian priest and missionary in Ceylon, born in Benaulim, Goa, Portuguese India (d. 1711)
- 1652 Michel Rolle, French mathematician (Rolle's theorem), born in Ambert, Basse-Auvergne (d. 1719)
- 1671 John Law, Scottish economist and author (Money and Trade Considered), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1729)
- 1673 Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire Empress, born in Hanover, Germany (d. 1742)
- 1713 Louis de Noailles, Marshal of France, born in Versailles, France (d. 1793)
- 1774 Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist (Biot-Savart law), born in Paris (d. 1862)
- 1775 Alexander Anderson, American engraver and illustrator (Shakespeare), born in NYC, New York (d. 1870)
- 1795 Vincenzo Pallotti, Italian saint (founder of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate), born in Rome (d. 1850)
- 1803 Levin Minn Powell, American Commander (Union Navy), born in Winchester, Winchester City, Virginia (d. 1885)
- 1806 Peter van Schendel, Dutch-Belgian painter (Monsieur Chandelle), born in Terheijden, Netherlands (d. 1870)
- 1809 Robert M. T. Hunter, American lawyer and politician (2nd Confederate States Secretary of State), born in Loretto, Virginia (d. 1887)
- 1810 John Putnam Chapin, American politician (10th Mayor of Chicago (1846-47), born in Bradford, Vermont (d. 1864)
- 1811 Alson Sherman, American politician (8th Mayor of Chicago 1844-45), born in Barre, Vermont (d. 1903)
- 1814 Angela Burdett-Coutts, English philanthropist extrordinaire and "the richest heiress in England", born in London (d. 1906)
Charlotte Brontë
1816 Charlotte Brontë,English novelist (Jane Eyre), born in Thornton, West Yorkshire
Charlotte Brontë
- 1816 Louis Wigfall, American politician (Confederate States Senator from Texas 1862-85), born in Edgefield, South Carolina (d. 1974)
- 1828 Hippolyte Taine, French philosopher and historian (Voyage in Italy), born in Vouziers, Ardennes, France (d. 1893)
- 1834 William Rufus Terrill, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Covington City, Virginia (d. 1862)
- 1837 Fredrik Bajer, Danish politician, feminist and pacifist politician (Nobel 1908), born in Næstved, Denmark (d. 1922)
- 1849 Oskar Hertwig, German embryologist (discovered fertilization), born in Friedberg, Germany (d. 1922)
- 1851 Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist, born in Lille, France (d. 1939)
- 1854 Eusapia Palladino, Italian spiritual medium, born in Minervino Murge, Apulia (d. 1918)
- 1854 William Stang, German Roman Catholic Bishop, born in Bad Schönborn, Germany (d. 1907)
- 1864 Max Weber, German sociologist, economist and historian (Ancient Judaism), born in Erfurt, Province of Saxony, Prussia (d. 1920)
- 1868 Robert Herrick, American novelist (Common lot), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 1938)
- 1872 Billy Bitzer, American cinematography pioneer, born in Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1944)
- 1878 Albert Weisgerber, German painter and graphic artist, born in Sankt Ingbert, Germany (d. 1915)
- 1879 Kartini, Indonesian national heroine, born in Jepara, Central Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1904)
- 1881 Jules-Marie Canneel, Flemish painter and caricaturist (Rocks of Oran), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1953)
- 1882 Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist (Nobel 1946 - physics of high pressure), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 1961)
- 1889 Paul Karrer, Swiss organic chemist (Nobel 1937), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1971)
- 1896 Henry de Montherlant, French novelist and stage author (La Reine Morte), born in Paris (d. 1972)
- 1902 Ben Stroman, Dutch writer (Jomtof & Blue Beard), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1985)
- 1903 Hans Hedtoft, 14th Prime Minister of Denmark (1947-50, 53-55), born in Århus, Denmark (d. 1955)
- 1904 Gijs van Hall, Dutch politician and Mayor of Amsterdam (1957-67), born in Amsterdam (d. 1977)
- 1905 Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown, American politician and Governor of California (D: 1959-67), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1996)
- 1906 Tom Burns, British-Chilean publisher and editor, born in Chile (d. 1995)
- 1909 Rollo May, American psychologist (Love & Will), born in Ada, Ohio (d. 1994)
- 1911 Ivan Combe, American inventor of personal care products (Clearasil), born in Fremont, Iowa (d. 2000)
- 1912 Eve Arnold, photojournalist (Marilyn Monroe) (d. 2012), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1913 Choh Hao Li, bio-chemist professor, isolated growth hormones)
- 1913 Kai-Uwe von Hassel, German politician
- 1913 Norman Parkinson, English fashion photographer (Harper's Bazaar), born in London (d. 1990)
- 1915 Frick, [W Groebli], Swiss clown, Frick & Frack)
- 1917 Emanuel Vardi, Jerusalem Israel, violist, SD Symph 1978-82)
- 1918 Edward Stanley, 18th earl of Derby, English landowner and multi-millionaire (d. 1994)
- 1919 Franc [Franklin E] Essed, Suriname agricultural eng, Oper Grasshopper)
- 1923 John Mortimer, English barrister and writer
- 1924 Daniel Melnick, American producer, Get Smart), born in NYC, New York
Elizabeth II
1926 Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, 1952- ), born in London, England
Elizabeth II
- 1927 Robert Brustein, American dean, Yale School of Drama), born in NYC, New York
- 1930 Don Tyson, founder, Tyson Foods)
- 1935 Thomas Kean, American politician
- 1936 James Dobson, American evangelist
- 1937 Charles Lee Herron, Ky, FBI most wanted fugitive (Jan 1 1986)
- 1939 Helen Prejean, American writer
- 1940 Souleymane Cisse, director (Waati, Yeelen, Finye, Baara)
- 1941 David Lyle Boren, American politician, Governor and Senator from Oklahoma, born in Washington, D.C.
- 1947 Alan Warner, rocker (Foundations)
- 1948 Gary A Condit, (Rep-D-California)
- 1948 Lord Egremont, English large landowner/multi-millionaire
- 1951 Aleksandr Ivanovich Laveykin, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-2)
- 1951 Tony Danza, (Tony Banta-Taxi, Tony Micelli-Who's the Boss), born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1951 Michael Hartley Freedman, American mathematician
- 1956 Phillip Longman, American demographer
- 1958 Michael Zarnock, American author and columnist
- 1958 Yoshito Usui, Japanese manga artist
- 1959 Tim Jacobus, American artist (Goosebumps)
- 1962 Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin, Russian major/cosmonaut
- 1965 Fiona Kelleghan, American academic and critic
- 1969 Robin Meade, American reporter
- 1971 Alexander Kravchenko, Russian professional poker player
- 1971 Hasan Akbar, American convicted murderer
- 2007 Princess Isabella of Denmark
April in History
![Millions Come Up to See Mae West]()
Millions Come Up to See Mae West
Mae West, jailed on this day for obscenity, became one of the most successful sex symbols. Fans could not resist the offer: ‘Come up and see me some time.’
April 19, 1927![World's First Motor Race]()
World's First Motor Race
It was hardly the stuff of today's adrenalin-pumping Formula 1 match ups, but on this day two men climbed aboard their machine for "the world’s first motor race”.
April 20, 1887![A Son, A Son – My Wife For A Son!]()
A Son, A Son – My Wife For A Son!
Henry VIII, who became King of England on this day in history, disposed of two wives in his quest for a son and heir – and was to marry four others.
April 21, 1509![Who Wrote Shakespeare?]()
Who Wrote Shakespeare?
Could the son of a provincial glove-maker, born on this day in history, be the author of the world's greatest plays? The argument rages on.
April 23, 1564
