- 1024 Hugh of Cluny, French saint (d. 1109)
- 1254 Maria of Brabant, queen of France (d. 1321)
- 1314 Sergius of Radonesh, Russian saint
- 1588 Ole Worm, Danish physician (d. 1654)
- 1592 John Cloppenburg, vicar/theologist
- 1638 Richard Simon, French Biblical critic (d. 1712)
- 1655 Innocent XIII, [Michelangiolo dei Conti], Italian 244th Pope (1721-24)
- 1699 Marquis of Pombal, Prime Minister of Portugal (1756-1777), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1782)
- 1712 Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Danish statesman (d. 1772)
- 1717 Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria (Wife of emperor Franz I)
- 1729 Henry William (Baron) Stiegel, early American glassmaker
Charles Watson-Wentworth
1730 Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquis of Rockingham, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1765-66, 1782), born in Wentworth, Yorkshire, England (d. 1782)
Charles Watson-Wentworth
- 1742 Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
- 1753 Lazare Carnot, French politician, engineer and mathematician known as the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, born in Nolay, Côte-d'Or (d. 1823)
- 1761 Adrian Loosjes Pzn, publisher/writer (Mauritius Lijnslager)
- 1792 Pius IX "Pio Nono", [Giovanni-Maria Mastai-Ferretti], Pope (1846-78)
- 1794 Louis-Leopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
- 1795 Joshua Ratoon Sands, American Rear Admiral (Union Navy), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1883)
- 1795 Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist (d. 1875)
- 1822 Francis of Assisi of Bourbon, King Consort of Spain (d. 1902)
- 1828 Josephine Elizabeth Butler, social reformer
- 1830 Zebulon Baird Vance, Governor (Confederacy), (d. 1894)
- 1831 Willem baron of Goltstein of Oldenaller, Dutch minister of Colonies
- 1840 Alphonse Daudet, French writer (Tartarin of Tarascon), born in Nîmes, France (d. 1897)
- 1843 Count Paul J Smet de Naeyer, Belgian politician
- 1856 Peter Henry Emerson, 1st to promote photography as an independent art
- 1857 Ronald Ross, British pathologist (Nobel Prize 1902), born in Almora, North-Western Provinces, British India (d. 1932)
- 1867 Frank Brangwyn, Wales, painter/muralist/cartoonist (Willam Morris)
- 1882 Georges Braque, French cubist painter and sculptor (My bicycle) who helped develop Cubism with Pablo Picasso, born in Argenteuil, Val-d'Oise (d. 1963)
- 1883 Henk JFM Sneevliet, leader RSAP/editor Spartacus (Dutch-Indies)
- 1883 Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek doctor, inventor of the Pap smear (d. 1962)
- 1894 Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
- 1898 Justin Tuveri, Italian veteran of the First World War (d. 2007)
- 1900 Jos Panhuysen, author (Pornographer)
Witold Pilecki
1901 Witold Pilecki, Polish WWII resistance fighter (volunteered to go to Auschwitz, Witold's Report), born in Olonets, Russian Empire
Witold Pilecki
- 1903 Alfred Pugsley, civil engineer
- 1904 Alfred Earle Birney, poet
- 1905 Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian leader and 5th President of India (1974-77), born in Delhi, British India (d. 1977)
- 1906 Thomas Mitchell, architect and engineer, born (d. 1996)
- 1907 Austin Whitaker, schoolmaster classical scholar/archivist
- 1907 Daphne du Maurier, English writer (Rebecca, Parasites)
- 1907 Laurence Kirwan, archaeologist
- 1908 Michael Richardson, commandant (Home for Disabled Sailors)
- 1912 Judah Nadich, American rabbi (d. 2007)
- 1913 William R Tolbert, president Liberia (1971-80)
- 1915 John Habakkuk, principal (Jesus College in Oxford)
- 1917 Paul Osmond, British senior civil servant
- 1917 Wilhelmus C Wijen, [Broeder Pius], social worker (Curacao)
- 1918 John Johnston, British diplomat (Rhodesia, Malaysia)
- 1920 Ratu Kasmisere Mara, PM of Fiji (1960-70, 70- )/pres (1994- )
- 1920 Gareth Morris, British flautist (d. 2007)
- 1921 Syd[ney G] Vincent, British mine workers leader
- 1924 Harry Schwarz, South African MP and Ambassador to the US
- 1924 Theodore Mann, American theatre producer and director
- 1926 Wallace Breem, British author
- 1926 Dewey Philip "Daddy-O", American pioneering DJ, born in Crump, Tennessee (d. 1968)
- 1927 Clive Barnes, drama critic (NY Times, NY Post)
- 1928 Enrique Bolaños, President of Nicaragua
- 1928 Jim Shoulders, Champion rodeo cowboy (d. 2007)
- 1930 Mike Gravel, (Sen-R-Alaska)
- 1930 Vernon Shaw, former president of Dominica
- 1931 Eileen Diss, theatrical designer (August, Secret Places, Betrayal)
- 1931 Sydney Lipworth, CEO (Monopolies & Mergers Commission)
- 1931 William Utting, chief inspector (British Social Services)
- 1933 Sid Morrison, (Rep-R-WA, 1981- )
- 1934 Adolf Muschg, Swiss writer (Gruppe Olten), born in Zollikon
- 1936 Alan Rayfield, governor (Long Latin Prison)
- 1937 John Cope, MP/Paymaster General
- 1937 Roger [Joseph] Zelazny, sci-fi author (6 Hugos, Chronicles of Amber)
Roch Carrier
1937 Roch Carrier, Canadian novelist (The Hockey Sweater), born in Sainte-Justine, Quebec
Roch Carrier
- 1937 Trevor Baylis, English inventor of the wind-up radio, born in Kilburn, London (d. 2018)
- 1938 Laurent Beaudoin, French Canadian businessman (Bombardier)
- 1938 Giuliano Amato, Italian politician
- 1939 William W Cobey Jr, (Rep-R-NC, 1985-87)
- 1940 Bruce Chatwin, England, writer (On the Black Hill)
- 1942 Vladimir A Dzhanibekov, USSR, cosmo (Soyuz 27, 39, T-6, T-12, T-13)
- 1944 Betsy Finley Ashton, broadcast journalist/author/lecturer
- 1944 Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, British explorer/genealogist
- 1944 Armistead Maupin, American author
- 1947 Stephen R Donaldson, American sci-fi author (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Lord Foul's Bane), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1948 Jeffrey Evans, Lord Mayor of London (2015-16), born in Gothenburg, Sweden
- 1951 Jim Douglas, American politician, governor of Vermont
- 1952 John Kasich, US politician (Governor of Ohio (R), 2011-), born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
- 1952 Manfred Langer, Austrian/Dutch disco builder
- 1956 Aleksandr Yuriyevich Kaleri, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-14)
- 1956 Ravi Shankar [Sri Sri], Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation, born in Papanasam, India
- 1957 Claudie Andre-Deshays, French cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-24)
- 1957 Andrea Klump, German terrorist
- 1957 Carrie Lam, Chinese politician, Chief Executive of Hong Kong (2017-), born in Hong Kong
- 1962 Kathleen Jamie, Scottish poet
- 1964 Ronnie Coleman, American bodybuilder
- 1965 José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountain climber (d. 2006)
- 1965 Natalie Massenet, entrepreneur and founder of Net-a-Porter, born in Los Angeles, California
- 1966 Kamen Vodenicharov, Bulgarian entertainer
- 1966 Nikos Aliagas, Greek TV show host
- 1968 Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
- 1968 Scott Morrison, Australian politician, Prime Minister of Australia (2018-), born in Waverley, Australia
- 1979 Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
- 1982 Yoko Kumada, Japanese gravure idol
- 1982 Oguchi Onyewu, American footballer
- 1983 Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
May in History
Assassination of a British Prime Minister
Only one British Prime Minister has ever been assassinated, a fact that brought the only claim to fame for Spencer Perceval.
May 11, 1812
Nelson's Dying Wish: Save Emma
The blacksmith’s daughter who enchanted aristocrats, became an artist’s muse and finally the mistress of England’s naval hero, Admiral Lord Nelson.
May 12, 1765
How Australia Was Born
Captain Arthur Phillip commanded a fleet of British ships carrying convicts to New South Wales on this day, effectively founding the British colony of Australia.
May 13, 1787
Pope 'Turned Vatican Into Whorehouse'
Pope John XII who died – some say he was murdered – on this day lived a life of sin, corruption and murder. But is his reputation as the worst pope deserved?
May 14, 964 AD