April 29

April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 246 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
• 1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and becomes its vassal.
• 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.
• 1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.
• 1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops under Gustav Vasa defeat a Danish force under Didrik Slagheck in the Battle of Västerås and soon capture the city of Västerås. The Danish-held castle, however, does not surrender to the Swedes until 31 January the following year, after a nine-month siege.
• 1770 – James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.
• 1832 – Évariste Galois is released from prison.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Maryland's House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
• 1862 – American Civil War: New Orleans falls to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut.
• 1864 – Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the American Civil War.
• 1882 – The "Elektromote", forerunner of the trolleybus, is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin.
• 1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide kills 70 in Frank, North-West Territories, Canada.
• 1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People's Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.
• 1916 – World War I: The British 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
• 1916 – Easter Rising: Martial law in Ireland is lifted and the rebellion is officially over with the surrender of Irish nationalists to British authorities in Dublin.
• 1944 – World War II: British agent Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo's most wanted person, parachutes back into France to become a liaison between London and the local maquis group.
• 1945 – World War II: The German army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies.
• 1945 – World War II: Start of Operation Manna.
• 1945 – World War II: The Captain-class frigate HMS Goodall (K479) is torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet becoming the last ship of the Royal Navy sunk in the European theatre of World War II.
• 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Both Hitler and Braun commit suicide the following day.
• 1945 – The Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
• 1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.
• 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.
• 1946 – Father Divine, a controversial religious leader who claims to be God, marries the much-younger Edna Rose Ritchings, a celebrated anniversary in the International Peace Mission movement.
• 1951 – Tibetan delegates to the Central People's Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.
• 1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
• 1965 – Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.
• 1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
• 1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with its song becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
• 1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.
• 1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
• 1975 – Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese Army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.
• 1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
• 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: American and European Spy Satellites capture the ruins of the 4th Reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant
• 1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.
• 1992 – Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
• 1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.
• 1999 – The Avala Tower near Belgrade is destroyed in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
• 2004 – Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.
• 2004 – Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production.
• 2005 – Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation.
• 2011 – The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.
• 2013 – A powerful explosion occurs in an office building in Prague, believed to have been caused by natural gas, injures 43 people.

Births

• 1636 – Esaias Reusner, German lute player and composer (d. 1679)
• 1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1745)
• 1667 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish-English physician and polymath (d. 1735)
• 1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1742)
• 1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French actor and dancer (d. 1810)
• 1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)
• 1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (d. 1820)
• 1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French general and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1833)
• 1780 – Charles Nodier, French librarian and author (d. 1844)
• 1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American publisher and politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)
• 1810 – Thomas Adolphus Trollope, English journalist and author (d. 1892)
• 1814 – Sadok Barącz, Galician religious leader, historian, folklorist, archivist (d. 1892)
• 1818 – Alexander II of Russia (d. 1881)
• 1837 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1891)
• 1842 – Carl Millöcker, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1899)
• 1848 – Raja Ravi Varma, Indian painter and academic (d. 1906)
• 1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1912)
• 1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Egyptian-Greek journalist and poet (d. 1933)
• 1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher and politician, founded the Hearst Corporation (d. 1951)
• 1863 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Austrian nun and missionary (d. 1922)
• 1868 – Alice Keppel, British society hostess and mistress of Edward VII (d. 1947)
• 1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and lawyer (d. 1930)
• 1872 – Forest Ray Moulton, American astronomer and academic (d. 1952)
• 1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-Swiss author and playwright (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (d. 1930)
• 1879 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961)
• 1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (d. 1945)
• 1891 – Bharathidasan, Indian poet and activist (d. 1964)
• 1894 – Marietta Blau, Austrian physicist and academic (d. 1970)
• 1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)
• 1887 – Raymond Thorne, American swimmer (d. 1921)
• 1893 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
• 1895 – Vladimir Propp, Russian scholar and critic (d. 1970)
• 1895 – Malcolm Sargent, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1967)
• 1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1987)
• 1899 – Duke Ellington, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1974)
• 1899 – Mary Petty, American illustrator (d. 1976)
• 1901 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (d. 1989)
• 1907 – Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (d. 1983)
• 1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Jack Williamson, American author and academic (d. 2006)
• 1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor and singer (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
• 1915 – Henry H. Barschall, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1997)
• 1917 – Maya Deren, Ukrainian-American director, poet, and photographer (d. 1961)
• 1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
• 1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian and author (d. 2011)
• 1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)
• 1919 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1919 – Alla Rakha, Indian tabla player (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Edward Blishen, English author and radio host (d. 1996)
• 1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcycle racer and journalist (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian guitarist and harmonica player
• 1923 – Irvin Kershner, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
• 1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballerina and actress
• 1925 – Ned Austin, American actor (d. 2007)
• 1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Elmer Kelton, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Dorothy Manley, English sprinter
• 1928 – Carl Gardner, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 2011)
• 1928 – Heinz Wolff, German-English physiologist, engineer, and academic
• 1929 – Ray Barretto, American conga player (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author and academic (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
• 1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor and director
• 1931 – Frank Auerbach, German-English painter and academic
• 1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
• 1931 – Chris Pearson, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Joy Clements, American soprano and actress (d. 2005)
• 1932 – David Tindle, English painter and educator
• 1933 – Ed Charles, American baseball player and coach
• 1933 – Mark Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 61st Prime Minister of Belgium
• 1933 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2015)
• 1933 – Willie Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (The Highwaymen)
• 1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan-American baseball player
• 1934 – Peter de la Billière, English general
• 1934 – Erika Fisch, German sprinter and hurdler
• 1934 – Pedro Pires, Cape Verdean politician, 3rd President of Cape Verde
• 1935 – April Ashley, English model
• 1935 – Otis Rush, American singer and guitarist
• 1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian bassist and conductor
• 1936 – Adolfo Nicolás, Spanish priest, 13th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
• 1936 – Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, English banker and philanthropist
• 1936 – Lane Smith, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1936 – April Stevens, American singer (Nino Tempo & April Stevens)
• 1937 – Hasil Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Arvo Mets, Estonian-Russian poet and translator (d. 1997)
• 1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English author
• 1938 – Fred Dibnah, English steeplejack and engineer (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Bernard Madoff, American businessman and financier
• 1938 – Klaus Voormann, German bass player and producer (Manfred Mann and Plastic Ono Band)
• 1940 – Stephanos of Tallinn, Estonian metropolitan
• 1941 – Jonah Barrington, English-Irish squash player
• 1941 – Hanne Darboven, German painter (d. 2009)
• 1942 – Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1942 – Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie, English civil servant and academic
• 1942 – Galina Kulakova, Russian skier
• 1943 – İlker Başbuğ, Turkish general
• 1943 – Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, English union leader and politician
• 1943 – Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech, English lawyer and academic
• 1944 – Princess Benedikte of Denmark
• 1944 – Richard Kline, American actor and director
• 1944 – Francis Lee, English footballer and businessman
• 1945 – Brian Charlesworth, English biologist, geneticist, and academic
• 1945 – Catherine Lara, French singer-songwriter and violinist
• 1945 – Tammi Terrell, American singer-songwriter (d. 1970)
• 1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1947 – Tommy James, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Tommy James and the Shondells)
• 1947 – Joey Levine, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Third Rail and Ohio Express)
• 1947 – Johnny Miller, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1947 – Jim Ryun, American runner and politician
• 1948 – Bruce Cutler, American lawyer
• 1948 – Michael Karoli, German guitarist and songwriter (Can) (d. 2001)
• 1949 – Anita Dobson, English actress and singer
• 1950 – Paul Holmes, New Zealand journalist (d. 2013)
• 1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian director and producer
• 1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American social worker and politician
• 1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1951 – John Holmes, English diplomat, British Ambassador to France
• 1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress
• 1952 – David Icke, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player and coach
• 1952 – Rob Nicholson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1952 – Brian D. Ripley, English statistician and academic
• 1952 – Ron Washington, American baseball player and manager
• 1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder and businessman, founded Burton Snowboards
• 1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian, actor, and producer
• 1955 – Richard Epcar, American actor and director
• 1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
• 1955 – Leslie Jordan, American actor and playwright
• 1955 – Gino Quilico, Canadian singer
• 1956 – Karen Barad, American physicist and philosopher
• 1956 – Ketil Stokkan, Norwegian singer-songwriter (Zoo)
• 1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, English-Irish actor and singer
• 1957 – Geoffrey Gould, American actor
• 1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist and songwriter (Great White)
• 1957 – Sofia Sakorafa, Greek javelin thrower and politician
• 1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American ecologist and environmentalist (d. 2003)
• 1958 – Gary Cohen, American sportscaster
• 1958 – Ramachandra Guha, Indian historian and author
• 1958 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (d. 2013)
• 1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress, singer, and producer
• 1958 – Eve Plumb, American actress and singer
• 1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1958 – Martin Whitmarsh, English businessman
• 1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian author and academic
• 1960 – Caveh Zahedi, American actor and director
• 1961 – Fumihiko Tachiki, Japanese voice actor
• 1962 – Bruce Driver, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1962 – Rob Druppers, Dutch runner
• 1963 – Mike Babcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1963 – Rajneesh Narula, English economist and academic
• 1964 – Melody Barnes, American lawyer
• 1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Radek Jaroš, Czech mountaineer and author
• 1965 – Michel Bussi, French geographer, author, and academic
• 1965 – Peter Rauhofer, Austrian DJ and producer (d. 2013)
• 1965 – Larisa Turchinskaya, Russian-Australian heptathlete and coach
• 1966 – Marie Plourde, Canadian journalist
• 1966 – Phil Tufnell, English cricketer and radio host
• 1967 – Marcel Albers, Dutch race car driver (d. 1992)
• 1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1967 – Master P, American rapper, producer, and actor (TRU and 504 Boyz)
• 1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer-songwriter and actress (Wilson Phillips)
• 1969 – Paul Adelstein, American actor and director
• 1969 – İzel Çeliköz, Turkish singer
• 1969 – Jack Mackenroth, American swimmer, model, and fashion designer
• 1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
• 1970 – China Forbes, American singer-songwriter (Pink Martini)
• 1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress and singer
• 1971 – Tamara Johnson-George, American singer and actress (SWV)
• 1971 – Sam Michael, Australian engineer
• 1971 – Siniša Vuco, Croatian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Živo blato)
• 1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American lawyer and politician, 55th Arkansas Attorney General
• 1973 – David Belle, French actor, stuntman, and choreographer
• 1973 – Martin Kesici, German singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1974 – Anggun, Indonesian-French singer-songwriter and producer
• 1974 – Barbora Bobuľová, Slovak-Italian actress
• 1974 – Pascal Cygan, French footballer
• 1974 – Julian Knowle, Austrian tennis player
• 1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist and educator
• 1975 – Zoo Béres, Hungarian-Australian radio host
• 1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1975 – Eric Koston, Thai-American skateboarder
• 1975 – Ziynet Sali, Cypriot singer
• 1975 – Artem Yashkin, Ukrainian footballer
• 1976 – Jay Orpin, Swedish-Finnish songwriter and producer
• 1977 – Rocío Carrasco, Spanish television host
• 1977 – Zuzana Hejdová, Czech tennis player
• 1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish footballer and sportscaster
• 1977 – Titus O'Neil, American football player and wrestler
• 1977 – David Sullivan, American actor
• 1977 – Attila Zsivoczky, Hungarian decathlete and high jumper
• 1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Bob Bryan, American tennis player
• 1978 – Mike Bryan, American tennis player
• 1978 – Craig Gower, Australian rugby player
• 1979 – Nihan Anaz, Turkish basketball player
• 1979 – Lee Dong-gook, South Korean footballer
• 1979 – Sam Jones III, American actor
• 1979 – Ashish Nehra, Indian cricketer
• 1979 – Jo O'Meara, English singer-songwriter and actress (S Club and 2-4 Family)
• 1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish race car driver and manager
• 1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Kian Egan, Irish singer-songwriter (Westlife)
• 1980 – Luciano Milo, Italian ice dancer
• 1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player
• 1980 – Magdalena Tul, Polish singer-songwriter
• 1981 – Lisa Allen, English chef
• 1981 – George McCartney, Irish footballer
• 1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian runner (d. 2006)
• 1981 – Tom Smith, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Editors and Magnus)
• 1982 – Aksana, Lithuanian-American wrestler and model
• 1982 – Kate Nauta, American model, actress, and singer
• 1982 – Mersad Selimbegović, Bosnian footballer
• 1982 – Travis Smith, American drummer (Trivium)
• 1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player
• 1983 – Tommie Harris, American football player
• 1983 – David Lee, American basketball player
• 1983 – Semih Şentürk, Turkish footballer
• 1983 – Yuriko Shiratori, Japanese model and actress
• 1984 – Taylor Cole, American model and actress
• 1984 – Kirby Cote, Canadian swimmer
• 1984 – Firass Dirani, Australian actor
• 1984 – Paulius Jankūnas, Lihuanian basketball player
• 1984 – Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Russian tennis player
• 1984 – Pham Van Quyen, Vietnamese footballer
• 1984 – Vassilis Xanthopoulos, Greek basketball player
• 1985 – Jean-François Jacques, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Jay Lethal, American wrestler
• 1986 – Renee Alway, American model
• 1986 – Crystal Harris, American model and singer
• 1986 – Viljar Veski, Estonian basketball player
• 1987 – Knut Børsheim, Norwegian golfer
• 1987 – Sara Errani, Italian tennis player
• 1987 – Alicia Morton, American actress and singer
• 1988 – Younha, South Korean singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Elías Hernández, Mexican footballer
• 1988 – Jovan Leacock, American footballer
• 1988 – Taoufik Makhloufi, Algerian runner
• 1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Julian Reus, German sprinter
• 1988 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Foxes, English singer-songwriter
• 1989 – Domagoj Vida, Croatian footballer
• 1991 – Oviya, Indian model and actress
• 1991 – Adam Smith, English footballer
• 1991 – Mariya Suzuki, Japanese singer and actress (AKB48 and SNH48)
• 1991 – Cole Vosbury, American singer-songwriter
• 1992 – Emilio Orozco, American soccer player
• 1994 – Christina Shakovets, German tennis player
• 1995 – Victoria Sinitsina, Russian ice dancer
• 1998 – Kimberly Birrell, Australian tennis player
• 2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain

Deaths

• 643 – Hou Junji, Chinese general and politician, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty
• 926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia (b. 883)
• 1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian mystic, philosopher, and saint (b. 1347)
• 1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and theologian (b. 1517)
• 1630 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French soldier and poet (b. 1552)
• 1658 – John Cleveland, English poet and author (b. 1613)
• 1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)
• 1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)
• 1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (b. 1655)
• 1707 – George Farquhar, Irish-English actor and playwright (b. 1678)
• 1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French theorist and author (b. 1658)
• 1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (b. 1694)
• 1771 – Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, French-Italian architect, designed Winter Palace and Catherine Palace (b. 1700)
• 1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English explorer and author (b. 1713)
• 1793 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1713)
• 1793 – John Michell, English geologist and astronomer (b. 1724)
• 1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist and author (b. 1723)
• 1833 – William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (b. 1756)
• 1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1768)
• 1903 – Paul Du Chaillu, French-American anthropologist and zoologist (b. 1835)
• 1905 – Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban pianist and composer (b. 1847)
• 1916 – The O'Rahilly, Irish activist (b. 1875)
• 1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1850)
• 1920 – William H. Seward, Jr., American general and banker (b. 1839)
• 1921 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (b. 1863)
• 1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet and journalist (b. 1863)
• 1935 – Leroy Carr, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1905)
• 1937 – William Gillette, American actor and playwright (b. 1853)
• 1944 – Bernardino Machado, Portuguese academic and politician, 3rd President of Portugal (b. 1851)
• 1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)
• 1947 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (b. 1867)
• 1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
• 1954 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (b. 1872)
• 1956 – Harold Bride, English soldier and operator (b. 1890)
• 1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
• 1961 – Cisco Houston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
• 1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and engineer (b. 1875)
• 1967 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
• 1967 – Anthony Mann, American actor and director (b. 1906)
• 1976 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (b. 1883)
• 1979 – Muhsin Ertuğrul, Turkish actor and director (b. 1892)
• 1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)
• 1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (b. 1899)
• 1982 – Raymond Bussières, French actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 1988 – James McCracken, American tenor and actor (b. 1926)
• 1992 – Mae Clarke, American actress and singer (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Michael Gordon, American actor and director (b. 1909)
• 1993 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Spiders from Mars and Mott the Hoople) (b. 1946)
• 1997 – Mike Royko, American journalist and author (b. 1932)
• 1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
• 2000 – Phạm Văn Đồng, Vietnamese lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)
• 2001 – Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr., American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
• 2002 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1936)
• 2002 – Lor Tok, Thai actor (b. 1914)
• 2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)
• 2005 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Louis Leithold, American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Sara Henderson, Australian farmer and author (b. 1936)
• 2005 – Mariana Levy, Mexican actress and singer (b. 1966)
• 2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to India (b. 1908)
• 2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1912)
• 2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)
• 2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer and rugby player (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Arve Opsahl, Norwegian actor and singer (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Ivica Račan, Croatian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
• 2007 – Selvarajah Rajivarnam, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1982)
• 2007 – Zhang Taofang, Chinese sniper (b. 1931)
• 2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1906)
• 2010 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Siamak Pourzand, Iranian journalist and critic (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Dynaformer, American race horse (b. 1985)
• 2012 – Éric Charden, Vietnamese-French singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Joel Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1957)
• 2012 – Roland Moreno. French engineer, invented the smart card (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Kenny Roberts, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Amarillo Slim, American poker player (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (b. 1992)
• 2013 – Pesah Grupper, Israeli politician, 13th Israel Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Parekura Horomia, New Zealand politician, 40th Minister of Māori Affairs (b. 1950)
• 2013 – John La Montaine, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ernest Michael, American mathematician and scholar (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (b. 1958)
• 2013 – Marianna Zachariadi, Greek pole vaulter (b. 1990)
• 2014 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (b. 1966)
• 2014 – M. V. Devan, Indian painter, sculptor, and critic (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Al Feldstein, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Reuven Feuerstein, Romanian-Israeli psychologist and academic (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Bob Hoskins, English actor, singer, and director (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1940)
• 2014 – Clayton Lockett, American murderer (b. 1975)
• 2014 – Walter Walsh, American target shooter and FBI agent (b. 1907)
• 2015 – Andrew Chan, Australian drug trafficker (b. 1984)
• 2015 – Rodrigo Gularte, Brazilian drug trafficker (b. 1972)
• 2015 – François Michelin, French businessman (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Calvin Peete, American golfer (b. 1943)
• 2015 – Myuran Sukumaran, English-Australian drug trafficker (b. 1981)
• 2015 – Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Catherine of Siena (Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Church)
  • Endelienta
  • Hugh of Cluny
  • Robert of Molesme
  • Torpes of Pisa
  • April 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Dance Day (International)
• Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (International)
• Shōwa Day, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period. (Japan)
• The beginning of Arita Ceramic Fair (Arita, Saga, Japan)
• The ninth day of Ridván (Bahá'í Faith)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada