April 12

Events

• 240 - Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
• 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 627 - King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, bishop of York.
• 1012 - Duke Oldřich of Bohemia deposes and blinds his brother Jaromír who flees to Poland.
• 1204 - The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.
• 1606 - The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.
• 1776 - American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
• 1807 - The Froberg mutiny ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli.
• 1820 - Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
• 1831 - Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse.
• 1861 - American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
• 1862 - American Civil War: The Andrews Raid occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia.
• 1864 - American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
• 1877 - The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
• 1910 -, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.
• 1917 - World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
• 1927 - Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Communist Party of China members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
• 1927 - Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town and killed 72 townspeople and injured 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
• 1928 - The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
• 1934 - The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
• 1934 - The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
• 1937 - Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
• 1945 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt's death.
• 1945 - World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reached Tangermünde—only 50 miles from Berlin.
• 1955 - The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
• 1961 - Cold War: Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.
• 1963 - The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
• 1970 - Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.
• 1980 - The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed.
• 1980 - Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport, in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed.
• 1981 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle takes place: The STS-1 mission.
• 1983 - Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago.
• 1990 - Jim Gary's "Twentieth Century Dinosaurs" exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there.
• 1992 - The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park's name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
• 1999 - United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred.
• 2002 - A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.
• 2007 - A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people.
• 2009 - Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.
• 2010 - Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28.
• 2013 - Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali.
• 2014 - The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.

  Births

• 811 - Muhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam of Shia Islam
• 959 - En'yū, emperor of Japan
• 1116 - Richeza of Poland, queen of Sweden and Grand Princess of Minsk
• 1432 - Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia
• 1484 - Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter's Basilica
• 1484 - Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar
• 1500 - Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator
• 1526 - Muretus, French philosopher and author
• 1550 - Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain
• 1577 - Christian IV of Denmark
• 1612 - Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver
• 1639 - Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician
• 1656 - Benoît de Maillet, French diplomat and natural historian
• 1705 - William Cookworthy, English minister and pharmacist
• 1710 - Caffarelli, Italian actor and singer
• 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author
• 1716 - Felice Giardini, Italian violinist and composer
• 1722 - Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer
• 1724 - Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia
• 1748 - Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist and author
• 1777 - Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State
• 1792 - John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English soldier and politician, Lord Privy Seal
• 1794 - Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer
• 1796 - George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts
• 1799 - Henri Druey, Swiss lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the Swiss Confederation
• 1801 - Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor
• 1816 - Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria
• 1823 - Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator
• 1839 - Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer
• 1845 - Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter
• 1851 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet
• 1851 - Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author
• 1852 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic
• 1856 - Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician
• 1863 - Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer
• 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral
• 1869 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer
• 1871 - Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece
• 1874 - William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• 1880 - Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist
• 1883 - Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator
• 1883 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor
• 1884 - Tenby Davies, Welsh runner
• 1884 - Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1885 - Robert Delaunay, French painter
• 1887 - Harold Lockwood, American actor and director
• 1888 - Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer
• 1888 - Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer
• 1892 - Henry Darger, American writer and artist
• 1894 - Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress
• 1894 - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal
• 1898 - Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress
• 1901 - Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician
• 1902 - Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• 1903 - Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1907 - Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic
• 1907 - Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial
• 1908 - Ida Pollock, English author and painter
• 1908 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general
• 1910 - Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher
• 1910 - Irma Rapuzzi, French politician
• 1911 - Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer
• 1912 - Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman
• 1912 - Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia
• 1912 - Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1913 - Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist
• 1914 - Armen Alchian, American economist and academic
• 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American author
• 1916 - Russell Garcia, American-New Zealander composer and conductor
• 1916 - Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic
• 1917 - Helen Forrest, American singer and actress
• 1917 - Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer
• 1917 - Robert Manzon, French racing driver
• 1919 - István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator
• 1919 - Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader
• 1921 - Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician
• 1922 - Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia
• 1923 - Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1924 - Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France
• 1924 - Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic
• 1924 - Curtis Turner, American race car driver
• 1925 - Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer
• 1925 - Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter
• 1925 - Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter
• 1926 - Jane Withers, American actress
• 1927 - Thomas Hemsley, English baritone
• 1927 - Alvin Sargent, two-time Academy-Award-winning American screenwriter
• 1928 - Hardy Krüger, German actor
• 1928 - Jean-François Paillard, French conductor
• 1929 - Elspet Gray, Scottish actress
• 1929 - Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator
• 1930 - John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria
• 1930 - Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician
• 1930 - Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter
• 1930 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator
• 1931 - Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter
• 1932 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1932 - Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor
• 1932 - Tiny Tim, American singer and ukulele player
• 1933 - Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress
• 1934 - Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager
• 1936 - Charles Napier, American actor
• 1936 - Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
• 1937 - Dennis Banks, American author and activist
• 1937 - Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
• 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright
• 1939 - Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1940 - Woodie Fryman, American baseball player
• 1940 - Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader
• 1941 - Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager
• 1942 - Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1942 - Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician
• 1942 - Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa
• 1943 - Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
• 1944 - Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic
• 1944 - John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1945 - Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat
• 1946 - Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian
• 1946 - George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO
• 1947 - Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic
• 1947 - Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic
• 1947 - Alex Briley, American disco singer
• 1947 - Tom Clancy, American historian and author
• 1947 - Woody Johnson, American businessman and philanthropist
• 1947 - Dan Lauria, American actor
• 1947 - David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host
• 1948 - Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer
• 1948 - Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician
• 1948 - Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach
• 1949 - Scott Turow, American lawyer and author
• 1950 - Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman
• 1950 - David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1950 - Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi
• 1950 - Nick Sackman, English composer and educator
• 1951 - Tom Noonan, American actor
• 1952 - Reuben Gant, American football player
• 1952 - Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player
• 1952 - Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist
• 1952 - Ralph Wiley, American journalist
• 1953 - Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator
• 1954 - John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence
• 1954 - Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician
• 1954 - Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1955 - Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician
• 1956 - Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer
• 1956 - Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor
• 1957 - Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author
• 1957 - Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1957 - Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer
• 1958 - Will Sergeant, English guitarist
• 1958 - Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower
• 1958 - Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler
• 1959 - Howard Stableford, English radio and television host
• 1961 - Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver
• 1961 - Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster
• 1961 - Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer
• 1962 - Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician
• 1962 - Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver
• 1962 - Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle
• 1963 - Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author
• 1964 - Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach
• 1965 - Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
• 1965 - Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director
• 1965 - Chi Onwurah, English politician
• 1965 - Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician
• 1965 - Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager
• 1966 - Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer
• 1966 - Lorenzo White, American football player
• 1967 - Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter
• 1968 - Alicia Coppola, American actress
• 1968 - Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer
• 1968 - Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1969 - Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager
• 1969 - Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster
• 1969 - Michael Jackson, American football player and politician
• 1970 - Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater
• 1971 - Nicholas Brendon, American actor
• 1971 - Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer
• 1972 - Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1973 - J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator
• 1973 - Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer
• 1973 - Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player
• 1973 - Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager
• 1974 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actress
• 1974 - Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
• 1974 - Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player
• 1974 - Marley Shelton, American actress
• 1974 - Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1976 - Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner
• 1976 - Brad Miller, American basketball player
• 1977 - Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1977 - Sarah Monahan, Australian actress
• 1977 - Jason Price, Welsh footballer
• 1977 - Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer
• 1978 - Guy Berryman, Scottish bass player and producer
• 1978 - Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1978 - Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper
• 1978 - Robin Walker, English businessman and politician
• 1979 - Claire Danes, American actress
• 1979 - Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast
• 1979 - Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
• 1979 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress
• 1979 - Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer
• 1979 - Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer
• 1980 - Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion
• 1980 - Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter
• 1981 - Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner
• 1981 - Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer
• 1981 - Tulsi Gabbard, American politician
• 1981 - Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler
• 1981 - Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher
• 1983 - Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player
• 1983 - Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner
• 1984 - Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper
• 1985 - Brennan Boesch, American baseball player
• 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
• 1986 - Brad Brach, American baseball pitcher
• 1986 - Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
• 1986 - Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player
• 1986 - Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer
• 1987 - Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
• 1987 - Shawn Gore, Canadian football player
• 1987 - Josh McCrone, Australian rugby league player
• 1987 - Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer
• 1987 - Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist
• 1988 - Ricardo Gabriel Álvarez, Argentinian footballer
• 1988 - Stephen Brogan, English footballer
• 1988 - Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer
• 1988 - Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter
• 1989 - Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player
• 1989 - Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer
• 1989 - Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player
• 1989 - Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer
• 1989 - Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer
• 1990 - Francesca Halsall, English swimmer
• 1990 - Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer
• 1991 - Torey Krug, American ice hockey player
• 1991 - Lionel Carole, French professional footballer
• 1991 - Oliver Norwood, English born Northern Irish international footballer
• 1991 - Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1991 - Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer
• 1992 - Chad le Clos, South African swimmer
• 1993 - Jordan Archer, English-Scottish footballer
• 1993 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1994 - Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer
• 1994 - Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress
• 1994 - Oh Sehun, South Korean musician
• 1994 - Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer
• 1994 - Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer
• 1995 - Pedro Cachín, Argentine tennis player
• 1996 - Elizaveta Kulichkova, Russian tennis player

  Deaths

• 45 BC - Gnaeus Pompeius, Roman general and politician
• 352 - Julius I, pope of the Catholic Church
• 434 - Maximianus, archbishop of Constantinople
• 901 - Eudokia Baïana, Byzantine empress and wife of Leo VI
• 1125 - Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia
• 1167 - Charles VII, king of Sweden
• 1212 - Vsevolod the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir
• 1256 - Margaret of Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, regent of Navarre
• 1443 - Henry Chichele, English archbishop
• 1500 - Leonhard of Gorizia, Count of Gorz
• 1530 - Joanna La Beltraneja, Princess of Castile
• 1550 - Claude, Duke of Guise
• 1555 - Joanna of Castile
• 1675 - Richard Bennett, English politician, colonial Governor of Virginia
• 1684 - Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker
• 1687 - Ambrose Dixon, English-American soldier
• 1704 - Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian
• 1748 - William Kent, English architect, designed Holkham Hall and Chiswick House
• 1782 - Metastasio, Italian-Austrian poet and composer
• 1788 - Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-Italian composer
• 1795 - Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general
• 1814 - Charles Burney, English composer and historian
• 1817 - Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic
• 1850 - Adoniram Judson, American lexicographer and missionary
• 1866 - Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded Fleetwood
• 1872 - Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist
• 1878 - William M. Tweed, American lawyer and politician
• 1879 - Richard Taylor, American general
• 1885 - William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania
• 1898 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal
• 1902 - Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist and academic
• 1906 - Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar, academic, and philanthropist
• 1912 - Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross
• 1933 - Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Mississippi
• 1937 - Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, Turkish playwright and poet
• 1938 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer
• 1943 - Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel
• 1945 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States
• 1953 - Lionel Logue, Australian actor and therapist
• 1962 - Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver
• 1966 - Sydney Allard, English racing driver and founder of the Allard car company
• 1968 - Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer
• 1971 - Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and dentist
• 1973 - Arthur Freed, American songwriter and producer
• 1975 - Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian
• 1977 - Philip K. Wrigley, American businessman, co-founded Lincoln Park Gun Club
• 1980 - William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia
• 1981 - Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan
• 1981 - Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler
• 1983 - Jørgen Juve, Norwegian football player and journalist
• 1983 - Carl Morton, American baseball player
• 1984 - Edwin T. Layton, American admiral and cryptanalyst
• 1986 - Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright
• 1988 - Colette Deréal, French singer and actress
• 1988 - Alan Paton, South African historian and author
• 1989 - Abbie Hoffman, American activist, co-founded Youth International Party
• 1989 - Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer
• 1992 - Ilario Bandini, Italian racing driver and businessman
• 1997 - George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1998 - Robert Ford, Canadian poet and diplomat
• 1999 - Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter
• 2001 - Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the smiley
• 2002 - George Shevelov, Ukrainian-American linguist and philologist
• 2004 - Moran Campbell, Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask
• 2006 - William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist
• 2007 - Kevin Crease, Australian journalist
• 2008 - Cecilia Colledge, English-American figure skater and coach
• 2008 - Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland
• 2008 - Jerry Zucker, Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist
• 2010 - Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader
• 2010 - Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter
• 2011 - Karim Fakhrawi, Bahraini journalist, co-founded Al-Wasat
• 2012 - Mohit Chattopadhyay, Indian poet and playwright
• 2012 - Rodgers Grant, American pianist and composer
• 2013 - Robert Byrne, American chess player and author
• 2013 - Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer
• 2013 - Michael France, American screenwriter
• 2013 - Brennan Manning, American priest and author
• 2013 - Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist and politician
• 2013 - Ya'akov Yosef, Israeli rabbi and politician
• 2014 - Pierre Autin-Grenier, French author and poet
• 2014 - Pierre-Henri Menthéour, French cyclist
• 2014 - Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer
• 2014 - Hal Smith, American baseball player and coach
• 2014 - Billy Standridge, American race car driver
• 2015 - Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician
• 2015 - Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer
• 2015 - Alfred Eick, German commander
• 2015 - André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician
• 2016 - Anne Jackson, American actress
• 2016 - Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat
• 2017 - Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian
• 2020 - Tarvaris Jackson, American football player

  Holidays and observances

• Children's Day
• Christian feast day:
• * Adoniram Judson
• * Alferius
• * Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
• * Erkembode
• * Pope Julius I
• * Teresa of the Andes
• * Zeno of Verona
• * April 12
• Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
• * Cosmonautics Day
• * International Day of Human Space Flight
• * Yuri's Night
• Halifax Day
• National Redemption Day