Events

January

January 6 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...

– The Asian Socialist Conference opens in

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 *1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 *1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...

** Marshal

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...

is chosen President of Yugoslavia. ** The CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel first meets to discuss the UFO phenomenon. *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...

–

Georg Dertinger Georg Dertinger (25 December 1902 – 21 January 1968) was a German politician. He was born in Berlin into a middle-class Protestant family. Dertinger briefly studied law and economics. After his study he became a journalist and later editor for ...

, foreign minister of East Germany, is arrested for spying. * January 19 – 71.1% of all television sets in the United States are tuned into ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'', to watch Lucy give birth to Little Ricky, which is more people than those who tune into Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration the next day. This record has yet to be broken. *

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 &ndas ...

– Dwight D. Eisenhower is

sworn in Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to giv ...

as the 34th President of the United States. * January 24 **

Mau Mau Uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...

: Rebels in Kenya kill the Ruck family (father, mother, and six-year-old son). ** Leader of East Germany Walter Ulbricht announces that agriculture will be collectivized in East Germany. * January 31–

February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...

– The

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

kills 1,836 people in the southwestern Netherlands (especially Zeeland), 307 in the United Kingdom, and several hundred at sea, including 133 on the ferry in the Irish Sea.

February

– The surge of the North Sea flood continues from the previous day. *

February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states. *1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire. *1488 – ...

– Batepá massacre: Hundreds of native creoles, known as ''forros'', are massacred in São Tomé, by the colonial administration and Portuguese landowners. *

February 5 Events Pre-1600 * 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. * 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion. * 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...

– Walt Disney's feature film '' Peter Pan'' premieres. *

February 11 Events Pre-1600 *660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. * 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...

** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower refuses a clemency appeal for

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...

. ** The Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations with Israel, after a bomb explosion at the Soviet Embassy, in reaction to the ' Doctors' plot'. * February 12 – The

Nordic Council The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the Nordic countries. Formed in 1952, it has 87 representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as from the autonomou ...

is inaugurated. *

February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. *1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. *1462 – The ...

– Transsexual Christine Jorgensen returns to New York after successful sex reassignment surgery in Denmark. *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...

– Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States. *

February 25 Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...

– Jacques Tati's film, '' Les Vacances de M. Hulot'', is released in France, introducing the ''gauche'' character of Monsieur Hulot. *

February 28 Events Pre-1600 *202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. * 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes. *1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on ...

James Watson James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick and ...

and

Francis Crick Francis Harry Compton Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the helical struc ...

of the University of Cambridge announce their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule. ** Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia sign the Balkan Pact.

March

* March 1 ** Joseph Stalin suffers a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

, after an all-night dinner with Soviet Union interior minister Lavrentiy Beria and future premiers Georgy Malenkov, Nikolai Bulganin, and Nikita Khrushchev. The stroke paralyzes the right side of his body and renders him unconscious until his death on

March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...

. ** Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg is made deputy constable and lieutenant governor of Windsor Castle. * March 6 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin, as

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

and First Secretary of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

. * March 8 – The

Thieves World Thieves' World is a shared world fantasy series created by Robert Lynn Asprin in 1978. The original series comprised twelve anthologies, including stories by science fiction authors Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Andrew J. Offutt, C. J. Cherryh, ...

, which has been transformed into the

Russian mafia Russian organized crime or Russian mafia (, ), otherwise known as Bratva (), is a collective of various organized crime elements originating in the former Soviet Union. The initialism OPG is Organized Criminal (''prestupnaya'' in Russian) Gr ...

, are freed from prisons by the Malenkov regime, ending the Bitch Wars. * March 13 – The United Nations Security Council nominates Dag Hammarskjöld from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

as United Nations Secretary General. *

March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...

– Nikita Khrushchev is selected

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

. * March 17 – The first nuclear test of Operation Upshot–Knothole is conducted in Nevada, with 1,620 spectators at . * March 18 – The Yenice–Gönen earthquake affects western Turkey, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''violent''), causing at least 1,070 deaths, and $3.57 million in damage. * March 19 – The

25th Academy Awards The 25th Academy Awards were held on March 19, 1953 at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, and the NBC International Theatre in New York City, to honor the films of 1952. It was the first Oscars ceremony to be televised, the first ceremony ...

Ceremony is held (the first one broadcast on television). *

March 25 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. * 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...

– 26 – ''Lari Massacre'' in Kenya:

Mau Mau Mau Mau may refer to: * The Kenya Land and Freedom Army, a Kenyan anti-colonial force ** The Mau Mau rebellion, uprising in Kenya in the 1950s * Mau Mau Island or White Island, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City * Mau Mau (game), a card game ...

rebels kill up to 150 Kikuyu natives. * March 26 – Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine. * March 29 – A fire at the Littlefield Nursing Home in Largo, Florida, kills 33 persons, including singer-songwriter Arthur Fields.

April

* April 7 – Dag Hammarskjöld is elected Secretary-General of the United Nations. *

April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...

–

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

is sentenced to 7 years in prison for the alleged organization of the

in the British Kenya Colony. * April 16 ** President Eisenhower delivers his "Chance for Peace" speech, to the National Association of Newspaper Editors. ** The Habar Corporation's building in Chicago, United States, catches fire, killing 35 employees. * April 25 –

and

publish " Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid", their description of the double helix structure of DNA.

May

* May 2 – Hussein is crowned King of Jordan. * May 5 – Aldous Huxley first tries the

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

hallucinogen

mescaline Mescaline or mescalin (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is a naturally occurring psychedelic protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, known for its hallucinogenic effects comparable to those of LSD and psilocybin. Biological sou ...

, inspiring his book '' The Doors of Perception''. * May 9 ** France agrees to the provisional independence of Cambodia, with King

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...

. ** Australian Senate election, 1953: The Liberal/ Country

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

Government, led by Prime Minister

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

, holds their

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

majority, despite gains made by the Labor Party, led by H. V. Evatt. This is the first occasion where a Senate election is held without an accompanying House Of Representatives election. *

May 11 Events 1601–1900 *1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is Assassination of Spencer Perceval, assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. *1813 – William Lawson (explorer), William Lawson, Grego ...

– Waco tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado hits in the downtown section of Waco, Texas, killing 114. * May 15 – The Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPS) for Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) are adopted by the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

Council. These SARPS are in Annex 15 to the Chicago Convention, and 15 May is celebrated by the AIS community as "World AIS Day". * May 18 – At Rogers Dry Lake, Californian Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to exceed Mach 1, in a North American F-86 Sabre at . * May 25 –

Nuclear testing Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...

: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its only nuclear artillery test: Upshot-Knothole Grable. * May 29 –

1953 British Mount Everest expedition The 1953 British Mount Everest expedition was the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit on 29 May 1953. ...

: Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal become the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

June

* June 1 –

Uprising in Plzeň Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

: Currency reform causes riots in Czechoslovakia. * June 2 – Elizabeth II is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, at Westminster Abbey. * June 7 – Italian general election: the

Christian Democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

party wins a plurality in both legislative houses. * June 7- 9 –

Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence An extremely devastating and deadly tornado outbreak sequence impacted the Midwestern and Northeastern United States at the beginning of June 1953. It included two tornadoes that caused at least 90 deaths each—an F5 tornado occurring i ...

: A single storm-system spawns 46 tornadoes of various sizes, in 10 states from Colorado to Massachusetts, over 3 days, killing 246. * June 8 ** On the second day of the Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, a tornado kills 115 in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

; it will be the last to claim more than 100 lives, until the

2011 Joplin tornado A devastating EF5-rated multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011. Part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak, the tornado touched down just west of Joplin and intensified very quickly, reaching a ...

. ** Austria and the Soviet Union open diplomatic relations. * June 9 ** On the third day of the Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, a tornado spawned from the same storm system as the Flint tornado the day before hits in Worcester, Massachusetts, killing 94. ** CIA Technical Services Staff head Sidney Gottlieb approves of the use of LSD in an MKUltra subproject. * June 13 – Hungarian Prime Minister Mátyás Rákosi is replaced by

Imre Nagy Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...

. * June 17 – Workers' Uprising in East Germany: The Soviet Union orders a Division of troops into

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

to quell a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. * June 18 ** Egypt declares itself a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. **

Tachikawa air disaster The occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, June 18, 1953 when a United States Air Force (USAF) Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft crashed three minutes after takeoff from Tachikawa, Japan, killing all 129 people on board. At the time, the cr ...

: A United States Air Force

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...

crashes just after takeoff from Tachikawa Airfield near Tokyo, Japan, killing all 129 people on board in the worst air crash in history up to this time, and the first with a confirmed death toll exceeding 100. * June 30 – The first roll-on/roll-off ferry crossing of the English Channel,

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

–

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

, takes place.

July

* July 3 – The first ascent of Nanga Parbat in the Pakistan Himalayas, the world's ninth highest mountain, is made by Austrian climber Hermann Buhl alone on the German–Austrian expedition. *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

– The U.S. Treasury formally renames the Bureau of Internal Revenue; the new name (which had previously been used informally) is the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

. * July 10 – The Soviet official newspaper '' Pravda'' announces that Lavrentiy Beria has been deposed as head of the NKVD. * July 17 – The greatest recorded loss of United States

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in a single event results from an aircraft crash near NAS Whiting Field. * July 26 –

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

and his brother lead a disastrous assault on the

Moncada Barracks The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermo Moncada, a hero of the Cuban War of Independence. On 26 July 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries ...

, preliminary to the Cuban Revolution. * July 27 – The Korean War ends, with the Korean Armistice Agreement: The

United Nations Command (Korea) United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command in history, and the first a ...

(United States), People's Republic of China and North Korea sign an armistice agreement at Panmunjom, and the north remains

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, while the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

remains capitalist.

August

* August 5 – Operation Big Switch:

Prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

are repatriated to the United States after the Korean War. * August 8 – Soviet prime minister Georgi Malenkov announces that the Soviet Union has a

hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...

. * August 12 ** The

1953 Ionian earthquake The 1953 Ionian earthquake (also known as the Great Kefalonia earthquake) struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the m ...

of magnitude 7.2 totally devastates

Cephalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It i ...

and most of the other Ionian Islands, in Greece's worst natural disaster in centuries. ** Soviet atomic bomb project: "

Joe 4 Joe 4 was an American nickname for the first Soviet test of a thermonuclear weapon on August 12, 1953, that detonated with a force equivalent to 400 kilotons of TNT. The proper Soviet terminology for the warhead was RDS-6s, , . RDS-6 utilized a ...

", the first Soviet thermonuclear weapon, is detonated at Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakh SSR. * August 13 – Four million workers go on strike in France to protest against

austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...

measures. * August 15– 19 –

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

1953 Iranian coup d'état The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état ( fa, کودتای ۲۸ مرداد), was the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of ...

– Overthrow of the democratically elected

Prime Minister of Iran The Prime Minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

, Mohammad Mosaddegh, by Iranian military in favour of strengthening the monarchical rule of the Shah,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

, with the support of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (as "Operation Ajax") and the United Kingdom. * August 17 – The first planning session of Narcotics Anonymous is held in Southern California (see October 5). * August 20 – The French government ousts King Mohammed V of Morocco, and exiles him to

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. * August 22 – The last prisoners are repatriated from

Devil's Island The penal colony of Cayenne ( French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953 in the Salvation Islands ...

to France. * August 25 – The French

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

ends. * August – High Arctic relocation of Inuit families by the Government of Canada.

September

* September 4 – The discovery of

REM sleep Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep or REMS) is a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds, characterized by random rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied by low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream viv ...

is first published, by researchers Eugene Aserinsky and

Nathaniel Kleitman Nathaniel Kleitman (April 26, 1895 – August 13, 1999) was an American physiologist and sleep researcher who served as Professor Emeritus in Physiology at the University of Chicago. He is recognized as the father of modern sleep research, an ...

. * September 5 – The United Nations rejects the Soviet Union's suggestion to accept the People's Republic of China as a member. * September 7 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes head of the Soviet Central Committee. *

September 23 Events Pre-1600 * 38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. * 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat ...

– The Pact of Madrid is signed by Francoist Spain and the United States of America, ending a period of virtual isolation for Spain. * September 25 – The first German

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

return from the Soviet Union to West Germany. * September 26 – Rationing of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

ends in the UK.

October

* October – The UNIVAC 1103 is the first commercial computer to use random-access memory. * October 5 **

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

is appointed Chief Justice of the United States, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ** The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held (the first planning session was held August 17). * October 6 – UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is made a permanent specialized agency of the United Nations. * October 9 ** West German federal election, 1953: Konrad Adenauer is re-elected as German chancellor. ** Fearing communist influence in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

, the British Government suspends the constitution, declares a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

, and militarily occupies the colony. * October 10 ** Roland (Monty) Burton wins the 1953 London to Christchurch air race, in under 23 hours flying time. ** The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea is concluded in Washington, D.C. * October 12 – The play '' The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'' opens at Plymouth Theatre, New York. * October 22 –

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

becomes independent from France. * October 23 –

Alto Broadcasting System ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned by t ...

in the Philippines makes the first television broadcast in southeast Asia, through

DZAQ-TV DWWX-TV, Channel 2, was the flagship VHF station of Philippine television network ABS-CBN. The station was owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation with its studio and transmitter located at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, Sgt. Esguerra Av ...

. Alto Broadcasting System is the predecessor of what will later become ABS-CBN Corporation. * October 30 –

: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally approves the top secret document of the United States National Security Council NSC 162/2, which states that the United States' arsenal of nuclear weapons must be maintained and expanded to counter the

threat.

November

* November 5 – David Ben-Gurion resigns as prime minister of Israel. *

November 9 Events Pre-1600 * 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery. * 1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settlement f ...

** Cambodia becomes independent from France. ** The

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

begins between the

Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

and the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...

, all the while resuming the First Indochina War against the French Army in a Two-front war. * November 20 ** The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, piloted by Scott Crossfield, becomes the first manned aircraft to reach

Mach Mach may refer to Mach number, the speed of sound in local conditions. It may also refer to: Computing * Mach (kernel), an operating systems kernel technology * ATI Mach, a 2D GPU chip by ATI * GNU Mach, the microkernel upon which GNU Hurd is bas ...

2. ** Authorities at the Natural History Museum, London announce that the skull of Piltdown Man (allegedly an

early human ''Homo'' () is the genus that emerged in the (otherwise extinct) genus ''Australopithecus'' that encompasses the extant species ''Homo sapiens'' ( modern humans), plus several extinct species classified as either ancestral to or closely relate ...

discovered in

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

) is a

hoax A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...

. * November 20– 22 – First Indochina War: Operation Castor – In a massive airborne operation in Vietnam, French forces establish a base at Điện Biên Phủ. *

November 21 Events Pre-1600 *164 BCE – Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar.) * 235 & ...

– Puerto Williams is founded in Chile, as the southernmost settlement of the world. * November 25 – Match of the Century (1953 England v Hungary football match): The England national football team loses 6–3 to Hungary at Wembley Stadium, their first ever loss to a continental team at home. *

November 29 Events Pre-1600 * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom. * 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over t ...

– First Indochina War:

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

– French paratroopers consolidate their position at Điện Biên Phủ. * November 30 – Kabaka crisis:

Edward Mutesa II Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II (modern spelling: Muteesa) (19 November 1924 – 21 November 1969) was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda in Uganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the thirty- ...

, the ''

kabaka the kabaka Palace in kireka Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and ...

'' (king) of

Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...

, is deposed and exiled to London by Sir Andrew Benjamin Cohen, Governor of Uganda.

December

* December 2 – The United Kingdom and Iran reform diplomatic relations. * December 6 – With the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...

, conductor

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

performs what he claims is his favorite Beethoven symphony, ''

Eroica Eroica may refer to: Music * Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) (''Sinfonia Eroica,'' 1801), by Ludwig van Beethoven * The ''Eroica Variations'' (Variations and Fugue for Piano in E♭ major, Opus 35, 1802), by Ludwig van Beethoven * '' Transcendental Ét ...

'', for the last time. The live performance is broadcast across the United States on radio, and later released on records and CD. * December 7 – A visit to Iran by American Vice President Richard Nixon sparks several days of riots, as a reaction to the August 19 overthrow of the government of Mohammed Mossadegh by the U.S.-backed Shah. Three students are shot dead by police in Tehran. This event becomes an annual commemoration. * December 8 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his '' Atoms for Peace'' address, to the United Nations General Assembly. * December 17 – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves

color television Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...

(using the NTSC standard). * December 23 – The Soviet Union announces officially that Lavrentiy Beria has been executed. * December 24 – Tangiwai disaster: A railway bridge collapses at Tangiwai, New Zealand, sending a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River; 151 are killed. * December 25 – The Amami Islands are returned to Japan, after 8 years of United States military occupation. *

December 30 Events Pre-1600 *534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. *999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushi ...

– Ramon Magsaysay becomes the 7th President of the Philippines.

Date unknown

* Global meat packing industry JBS is founded in Anapolis, Goias, Brazil. * China First Building Corporation, as predecessor part of China State Construction Engineering, founded in Beijing.

Births

January

Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Nordic Council Session in Helsinki 2008-10-28

* January 1 – Gary Johnson, American businessman, politician and 29th Governor of New Mexico *

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...

–

George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is an American intelligence official and academic who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, as well as a Distinguished Professor in the P ...

, American Central Intelligence Agency director * January 5 ** Pamela Sue Martin, American actress ** Mike Rann, Australian politician *

–

Malcolm Young Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was an Australian musician who was the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter of AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its beginn ...

, Australian musician (d.

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

) *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...

** Pat Benatar, American rock singer ** Bobby Rahal, American race car driver * January 11 – Eduard Kučera, Czech businessman, co-founder of Avast Software *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...

– John Wake, English cricketer *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...

– Robert Jay Mathews, American neo-Nazi, founder of the terrorist group '' The Order'' (d.

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) * January 19 –

Richard Legendre Richard Legendre (born January 19, 1953 in Montmagny, Quebec) is a former professional tennis player and politician in Quebec, Canada. Tennis Legendre was born in Montmagny, Quebec. He once represented Canada at the Davis Cup and had a care ...

, Canadian tennis player, politician *

– Jeffrey Epstein, American financier and sex offender (d.

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * January 21 – Paul Allen, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Microsoft (d.

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

) *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...

** Myung-whun Chung, South Korean conductor, pianist **

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

, American director * January 23 – Dušan Nikolić, Yugoslav footballer (d.

) * January 24 – Moon Jae-in, 19th President of South Korea * January 26 ** Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, Secretary General of NATO ** Lucinda Williams, American singer-songwriter * January 28 –

Colin Campbell Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney ...

, Canadian ice hockey player, executive * January 29 **

Peter Baumann Peter Baumann (born 29 January 1953) is a German musician. He formed the core line-up of the pioneering German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976, whi ...

, German keyboard player, songwriter ('' Tangerine Dream'') ** Paulin Bordeleau, Canadian ice hockey player **

Lynne McGranger Lynne McGranger (born 29 January 1953) is an Australian actress and longest serving female cast member of a television soap opera in Australia, having starred as Irene Roberts on soap opera ''Home and Away'' for over 29 years. She joined the se ...

, Australian actress ** Juan Paredes, Mexican boxer ** Louie Pérez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist **

Fred Riebeling Fredrick Riebeling (born 29 January 1953) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 2008. Riebeling was born in Bridgetown. Before becoming a member of parliament, he was a ...

, Australian politician **

Grażyna Szmacińska Grażyna Szmacińska (born 29 January 1953) is a Polish chess player who six times won the Polish Chess Championship, Polish Women's Chess Championship. She received the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM) in 1978. Chess career I ...

, Polish chess player ** Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (d.

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

) ** Yorie Terauchi, Japanese actress ** Hwang Woo-suk, South Korean veterinarian, academic * January 31 – Sergei Ivanov, Russian first deputy prime minister and

minister of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

February

(José_María_Aznar)_EPP_Summit_4_December_2003_Paris_(cropped)

February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...

– Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...

– Kitarō, Japanese New Age musician * February 7 – Dan Quisenberry, American baseball player (d.

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) * February 8 –

Mary Steenburgen Mary Nell Steenburgen (; born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in 1978 Western comedy film ''Goin' ...

, American actress * February 9 ** Ciarán Hinds, Irish actor ** Rick Wagoner, American automotive executive * February 10 – June Jones, American quarterback, current NCAA Football head coach at Southern Methodist University *

– Jeb Bush, American politician, 43rd Governor of Florida * February 12 –

Nabil Shaban Nabil Shaban (born 12 February 1953) is a Jordanian-British actor and writer. He co-founded Graeae—a theatre group which promotes disabled performers. He's best known as the recurring villain Sil in ''Doctor Who''. Early years and career ...

, Jordanian-British actor and writer *

February 14 Events Pre-1600 * 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. * 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis ...

– Sergey Mironov, Russian statesman, Speaker of the Federation Council *

** Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician,

President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Ar ...

and Vice President of Argentina **

Massimo Troisi Massimo Troisi (; 19 February 1953 – 4 June 1994) was an Italian actor, cabaret performer, screenwriter, and film director. He is best known for his works in the films '' I'm Starting from Three'' (1981) and '' Il Postino: The Postman'' (1994) ...

, Italian actor, film director (d.

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

) *

February 20 Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. *1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...

–

Riccardo Chailly Riccardo Chailly (, ; born 20 February 1953) is an Italian conductor. He is currently music director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, since 2016, and music director of La Scala, since 2017. Prior to this, he held chief conducting positions ...

, Italian orchestral conductor * February 21 – William Petersen, American actor * February 22 – Geoffrey Perkins, British comedy producer, writer and actor (d.

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

) *

José María Aznar José María Alfredo Aznar López (; born 25 February 1953) is a Spanish politician who was the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He led the People's Party (PP), the dominant centre-right political party in Spain. A member of the Fre ...

, Prime Minister of Spain ** Martin Kippenberger, German artist *

February 26 Events Pre-1600 *747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events. * 364 – Valentinian I is p ...

– Michael Bolton, American singer *

February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...

** Ian Khama, 4th President of Botswana ** Yolande Moreau, Belgian actress, writer and director *

** Paul Krugman, American economist ** Ricky Steamboat, American professional wrestler ** Osmo Vänskä, Finnish orchestral conductor

March

* March 1 – Richard Bruton, Irish politician, economist * March 3 ** Arthur Antunes Coimbra, Brazilian footballer, manager ** Robyn Hitchcock, British singer-songwriter ** Agustí Villaronga, Spanish filmmaker * March 4 ** Emilio Estefan, Cuban percussionist ** Rose Laurens, French singer-songwriter (d.

) ** Kay Lenz, American actress *

– Tokyo Sexwale, South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner * March 6 –

Jan Kjærstad Jan Kjærstad (born 6 March 1953 in Oslo) is a Norwegian author.Jan Kjærstad
in

March 10 – Debbie Brill, Canadian high jumper * March 11 ** László Bölöni, Romanian footballer ** Bernie LaBarge, Canadian guitarist/vocalist *

March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...

** Carl Hiaasen, American author ** Ron Jeremy, American pornographic and straight actor, filmmaker and stand-up comedian ** Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepalese politician *

–

Johan Ullman Johan Ullman is a Swedish medical doctor, scientist, and inventor. Ullman was born on March 14, 1953 in Hallstavik, Sweden to civil engineer Uddo Ullman, and Barbro Stenkulla. He grew up in Falun, and received his medical degree from the Univer ...

, Swedish medical doctor, physicist and inventor * March 15 –

Kumba Iala Kumba is a metropolitan city in the Meme department, Southwest Region, Western Cameroon, referred as "K-town" in local slang. Kumba is the most developed and largest city in the Meme Department and has attracted people from the local villag ...

, Guinea-Bissauan politician, 3rd President of Guinea-Bissau (d.

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) * March 16 **

Bryan Duncan Bryan Edward Duncan (born March 16, 1953) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. He is known for being lead singer of the group Sweet Comfort Band, solo career, and involvement with the Nehosoul Band. He is currently involved with ...

, American Christian musician ** Isabelle Huppert, French actress ** Richard Stallman, American free software proponent * March 17 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino revolutionary (d.

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) * March 18 –

Takashi Yoshimatsu is a Japanese classical music composer. He is well known for composing the 2003 remake of ''Astro Boy''. Biography Yoshimatsu was born and raised in Yoyogi, Tokyo. He did not receive formal musical training while growing up. Yoshimatsu was a fa ...

, Japanese composer * March 19 – Lenín Moreno, Ecuadorian politician, 44th President of Ecuador * March 20 – Sándor Csányi, Hungarian business executive, banker * March 23 –

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, African-American soul singer * March 24 –

Mathias Richling Mathias Richling (born 24 March 1953 in Waiblingen) is a German actor, author, comedian and Kabarett artist. Richling studied literature, music and theatre. From 1989 to 1996 he had a program called ''Jetzt schlägt's Richling'' on the German TV ...

, German comedian * March 26 ** Lincoln Chafee, American politician ** Elaine Chao, American politician, wife of Senator

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

* March 28 – Melchior Ndadaye, 4th President of Burundi (d.

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

)

April

* April 2 ** Jim Allister, Irish politician ** Rosemary Bryant Mariner, American naval aviator (d.

) * April 3 ** Sandra Boynton, American author, songwriter and illustrator ** Russ Francis, American football player *

April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...

– Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician * April 6 – Andy Hertzfeld, American computer programmer * April 9 – John Howard, English singer-songwriter * April 10 – Heiner Lauterbach, German actor * April 11 **

Guy Verhofstadt Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...

Prime Minister of Belgium german: Premierminister von Belgien , insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg , insigniasize = 100px , insigniacaption = Coat of arms , insigniaalt = , flag = Government ...

** Andrew Wiles, British-born mathematician *

April 13 Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...

– Stephen Byers, English Labour Party politician, Secretary of State for Transport * April 14 – Eric Tsang, Hong Kong actor * April 16 ** Peter Garrett, Australian musician, politician ** J. Neil Schulman, American writer, activist * April 17 –

Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...

, Irish singer, television presenter and

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

1992 winner * April 18 – Rick Moranis, Canadian actor * April 19 – Ruby Wax, American-born British-based performer * April 20 – Sebastian Faulks, British novelist * April 22 – Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer * April 24 – Eric Bogosian, American actor, playwright, monologist and novelist * April 25 – Ron Clements, American animation director, producer * April 28 ** Roberto Bolaño, Chilean author (d.

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) ** Kim Gordon, American rock musician * April 29 ** Nikolai Budarin, Russian cosmonaut ** Bill Drummond, South African-born British artist and musician ( The KLF, K Foundation etc.) * April 30 – Merrill Osmond, American pop singer

May

* May 2 ** Valery Gergiev, Russian-Ossetian conductor ** Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player * May 3 ** Salman Hashimikov, Soviet

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

wrestler ** Gary Young, American musician ( Pavement, Gary Young's Hospital) * May 5 ** Ibrahim Zakzaky, Nigerian Shia-Islam cleric **

Dieter Zetsche Dieter Zetsche (; born on 5 May 1953) is a German engineer and business executive. He is the chairman of TUI AG. He was the chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz until 22 May 2019, a role he had held since 200 ...

, German auto executive * May 6 ** Aleksandr Akimov, Soviet engineer who was the shift supervisor during the events of the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

(d.

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

) ** Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom **

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

, Scottish footballer, manager ** Lynn Whitfield, African-American actress * May 7 – Ian McKay, British soldier ( VC recipient) (d.

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

** Billy Burnette, American musician ** Alex Van Halen, Dutch-born American rock musician *

– David Gest, American entertainer, producer and television personality (d.

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

) * May 14 **

Michael Hebranko Michael John Hebranko Jr. (May 14, 1953 – July 25, 2013) was an American man who suffered from an extreme case of morbid obesity and was one of the heaviest men in the world. Hebranko was born in Brooklyn to Michael Hebranko Sr. and Jeanette ...

, American exemplar of morbid/mortal obesity (d.

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

) **

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni ( km, នរោត្តម សីហមុនី, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of Norodom Sihano ...

, King of Cambodia * May 15 ** George Brett, American Major League Baseball player ** Mike Oldfield, English composer ('' Tubular Bells'') *

May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

, Irish actor ** Richard Page, American musician * May 17 – Luca Prodan, Italian–Scottish musician and singer (d.

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

) * May 19 – Victoria Wood, English comic performer (d.

) * May 20 – Robert Doyle, Australian politician * May 21 – Jim Devine, British politician * May 23 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, 4th Prime Minister of Rwanda (d.

) *

May 24 Events Pre-1600 * 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom. * 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. * 1276 – Magnus La ...

– Alfred Molina, English actor * May 26 ** Kay Hagan, American lawyer, banking executive and politician (d.

) ** Michael Portillo, English politician * May 29 **

Aleksandr Abdulov Aleksandr Gavrilovich AbdulovАбдулов Г. Д.
Ферганский г� ...

, Russian actor (d.

) **

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

, American composer *

May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...

–

Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many T ...

, Irish actor * May 31 – Kathie Sullivan, American singer

June

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Svecanost podizanja NATOve zastave Zagreb 65

Ingo Kühl im Atelier Berlin 2015 (cropped)

* June 1 ** David Berkowitz, American serial killer **

Diana Canova Diana Canova (born June 1, 1953) is an American actress, director, and professor. She is best known for her role as Corinne Tate on '' Soap'' (1977-1980). Early life Canova was born Diane Canova Rivero in West Palm Beach, Florida, to actress ...

, American actress, adjunct professor * June 2 ** Keith Allen, British actor ** Cornel West, African-American philosopher, political activist, social critic, author * June 3 – Erland Van Lidth De Jeude, Dutch-born wrestler, opera singer and actor (d.

) * June 4 ** Paul De Meo, American screenwriter, producer (d.

) ** Susumu Ojima, Japanese entrepreneur * June 5 – Kathleen Kennedy (producer), Kathleen Kennedy, American film producer * June 7 ** Johnny Clegg, South African Zulu musician and anthropologist (d.

) ** Dougie Donnelly, Scottish television broadcaster * June 8 – Ivo Sanader, 8th Prime Minister of Croatia * June 10 – John Edwards, American politician * June 11 ** Peter Bergman, American actor ** Barbara Minty, American model * June 12 – Michael Donovan, Canadian voice actor * June 13 ** Tim Allen, American actor, comedian (''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improvement'') ** Atso Almila, Finnish conductor, composer *June 14 – Hana Laszlo, Israeli actress and comedian *June 15 **Antonia Rados, Austrian television journalist **Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Paramount leader of China * June 20 – Ulrich Mühe, German actor (d. 2007) * June 21 – Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2007) * June 22 ** Wim Eijk, Dutch archbishop ** Cyndi Lauper, American singer (''Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'') *June 23 **Vincenzo Di Nicola, Italian-Canadian psychologist, psychiatrist and philosopher * June 24 – Ivo Lill, Estonian artist * June 29 ** Don Dokken, American rock singer, musician ** Colin Hay, Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter (''Men at Work'') ** Ingo Kühl, German painter, sculptor and architect

July

* July 1 ** Pat Donovan, American football offensive lineman ** Lawrence Gonzi, 11th Prime Minister of Malta ** Jadranka Kosor, Croatian politician ** Nasir Ali Mamun, Bengali portrait photographer ** Sangay Ngedup, Prime Minister of Bhutan * July 2 – Nacer Sandjak, Algerian footballer and manager * July 3 ** Lotta Sollander, Swedish alpine skier ** Les Strong, English association footballer * July 11 ** Angélica Aragón, Mexican actress ** Leon Spinks, African-American boxer (d. 2021) * July 12 – Alessi Brothers, American pop rock singer-songwriter duo * July 15 ** Jean-Bertrand Aristide, President of Haiti ** Raisul Islam Asad, Bangladeshi actor * July 17 – Nuria Bages, Mexican actress * July 19 – Shōichi Nakagawa, Japanese politician (d. 2009) * July 21 ** Jeff Fatt, Australian musician, former member of The Wiggles ** Sylvia Chang, Taiwanese actress * July 23 – Najib Abdul Razak, 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia * July 24 ** Tadashi Kawamata, Japanese contemporary artist ** Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator * July 25 – Tim Gunn, American fashion expert * July 27 – Yahoo Serious, Australian filmmaker * July 29 ** Ken Burns, American documentary filmmaker ** Geddy Lee, Canadian rock musician (Rush (band), Rush) * July 31 ** Tōru Furuya, Japanese voice actor ** James Read, American actor

August

Carlos Mesa, ex-President of Bolivia (cropped)

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* August 1 ** Robert Cray, American musician ** Steven Krasner, American sportswriter * August 2 – Butch Patrick, American child actor and musician * August 4 – Antonio Tajani, Italian politician, President of the European Parliament * August 5 ** András Ligeti, Hungarian violinist and conductor (d. 2021) ** Rick Mahler, American baseball player (d. 2005) * August 8 – Nigel Mansell, English 1992 Formula 1 world champion * August 9 – Jean Tirole, French Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize-winning economist * August 11 – Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler * August 12 ** Carlos Mesa, President of Bolivia ** Teddi Siddall, American actress (d.

) * August 14 ** Cliff Johnson (game designer), Cliff Johnson, American game designer ** James Horner, American film composer (d. 2015) * August 15 ** Wolfgang Hohlbein, German writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction ** Carol Thatcher, English television personality ** Sir Mark Thatcher, English businessman * August 16 – Kathie Lee Gifford, American singer and actress * August 17 – Herta Müller, German Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize-winning writer * August 18 – Louie Gohmert, American politician * August 19 – Benoît Régent, French actor (d.

) * August 20 ** Peter Horton, American actor and director ** Mike Jackson (Texas politician), Mike Jackson, member of the Texas Senate * August 21 – Géza Szőcs, Hungarian poet and politician * August 24 – Ron Holloway, American tenor saxophonist * August 26 ** Edward Lowassa, 8th Prime Minister of Tanzania ** Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer * August 27 – Alex Lifeson, Canadian rock musician (Rush (band), Rush) * August 29 – James Quesada, Nicaraguan-born anthropologist * August 30 – Robert Parish, American basketball player * August 31 – György Károly, Hungarian author (d.

)

September

* September 2 – John Zorn, American musician * September 4 – Fatih Terim, Turkish footballer and manager * September 8 – Stu Ungar, American poker player (d.

) * September 10 – Amy Irving, American actress * September 12 ** Nan Goldin, American photographer ** Stephen Sprouse, American fashion designer, artist and photographer (d. 2004) * September 13 – Ann Dusenberry, American film actress * September 19 – Probal Dasgupta, Indian linguist and Esperantist * September 22 – Ségolène Royal, French politician *

– Alexey Maslov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces * September 27 – Greg Ham, Australian rock musician (Men at Work) (d. 2012) * September 29 – Denis Potvin, Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player

October

Tico Torres Bon Jovi at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

* October 1 ** Grete Waitz, Norwegian athlete (d. 2011) ** Klaus Wowereit, German politician * October 2 – Brandon Wilson (writer), Brandon Wilson, American author and explorer * October 4 – Kerry Sherman, American actress * October 7 – Tico Torres, American Drummer (Bon Jovi) * October 9 – Tony Shalhoub, American actor * October 10 – Midge Ure, Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and producer * October 12 ** Les Dennis, British comedian and television presenter ** Serge Lepeltier, French politician * October 14 ** Greg Evigan, American actor ** Shelley Ackerman, American astrologer, actress, writer * October 15 ** Tito Jackson, African-American singer and guitarist (The Jackson 5) ** Larry Miller (comedian), Larry Miller, American actor and comedian * October 16 – Martha Smith, American model and actress * October 21 ** Keith Green, American-born Christian piano player (d.

) ** Peter Mandelson, British politician and member of the United Kingdom Labour Party, Labour Party ** Hugh Wolff, American orchestral conductor * October 22 – Loyiso Nongxa, South African mathematician * October 24 ** Christoph Daum, German footballer and manager ** Steven Hatfill, American physician, virologist and bio-weapons expert ** David Wright (British musician), David Wright, British composer and producer, co-founder of AD Music * October 26 – Keith Strickland, American musician (The B-52's) * October 27 ** Paul Alcock, English football referee (d.

) ** Peter Firth, British actor ** Robert Picardo, American actor * October 29 – Lorelei King, American-born actress * October 31 – Michael J. Anderson, American actor

November

Reunión con el Presidente Electo, Andrés Manuel López Obrador 8 (cropped)

Launch Republique Solidaire 2010-06-19 n04

* November 1 **Darrell Issa, American businessman and Congressman ** Susan Tse, Hong Kong actress and opera singer ** Bruce Poliquin, American politician * November 2 – Tom Lyle, American comics artist (d.

) * November 3 **Koji Horaguchi, Japanese rugby union player (d. 1999) ** Dennis Miller, American comedian and radio host ** Kate Capshaw, American actress * November 4 ** Carlos Gutierrez, American politician ** Peter Lord, British film producer and director ** Van Stephenson, American singer-songwriter (d.

) * November 5 – Florentino V. Floro, Filipino dwarf judge * November 7 – Ottfried Fischer, German actor and Kabarett artist * November 8 – John Musker, American animation director * November 11 ** Andy Partridge, British musician and frontman of the band XTC * November 13 ** Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico (2018—present) ** Waswo X. Waswo, American photographer ** Diana Weston, Canadian-born English screen actress ** Mokhtar Dahari, Malaysian footballer (d. 1991) * November 14 – Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister of France * November 15 – Alexander O'Neal, American singer * November 16 – Griff Rhys Jones, Welsh comedian, writer, actor and television presenter * November 18 ** Alan Moore, English writer and magician ** Kevin Nealon, American actor and comedian ** Kath Soucie, American actress and voice actress * November 19 ** Robert Beltran, American actor ** Tom Villard, American actor (d.

) * November 23 – Francis Cabrel, French singer * November 24 ** Glenn Withrow, American actress ** Tod Machover, American composer * November 25 – Graham Eadie, Australian rugby league player * November 27 ** Steve Bannon, American political figure ** Boris Grebenshchikov, Soviet and Russian rock musician ** Curtis Armstrong, American actor * November 28 – Pamela Hayden, American voice actress *

**Alex Grey, American artist ** Vlado Kreslin, Slovenian singer ** Christine Pascal, French actress, director and screenwriter (d. 1996) ** Rosemary West, British serial killer * November 30 – June Pointer, American singer (The Pointer Sisters) (d. 2006)

December

* December 2 – Joel Fuhrman, American certified family physician * December 6 **Geoff Hoon, British Labour Party politician **Tom Hulce, American actor and theater producer **Gary Ward (outfielder), Gary Ward, American baseball player * December 8 ** Kim Basinger, American actress and fashion model ** Norman G. Finkelstein, American political scientist ** Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992) * December 9 – John Malkovich, American actor and film director * December 13 ** Ben Bernanke, American economist, Federal Reserve System chairman ** Bob Gainey, Canadian hockey player * December 14 – Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician, 4th Minister for National Defence (Greece), Greek Minister for National Defence * December 17 ** Ikue Mori, Japanese drummer, composer and graphic designer ** Bill Pullman, American actor * December 18 ** Kevin Beattie, English footballer (d.

) ** Khas-Magomed Hadjimuradov, Chechen bard * December 21 – András Schiff, Hungarian concert pianist and conductor * December 23 ** Nuria Bages, Mexican stage and television actress ** Marián Geišberg, Slovak actor (d.

) ** Martha Wash, American singer-songwriter, actress and producer * December 24 – Timothy Carhart, American actor * December 26 ** Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic ** Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Estonian politician, 4th President of Estonia * December 27 – Gina Lopez, Filipino environmentalist and philanthropist (d.

) * December 28 ** Richard Clayderman, French pianist ** Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese professional wrestler * December 29 ** Thomas Bach, 9th President of the International Olympic Committee ** Stanley Williams, American reformed murderer (d. 2005) * December 31 – James Remar, American actor

Date unknown

* Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, 6th President of Mauritania (d.

) * Dan Petrescu (businessman), Dan Petrescu, Romanian businessman and billionaire

Deaths

January

* January 1 ** Maksim Purkayev, Soviet general (b. 1894) ** Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1923) * January 2 – Guccio Gucci, founder of Gucci (b. 1881) *

** Arthur Hoyt, American actor (b. 1874) ** Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu, Japanese prince (b. 1902) * January 5 – Mitchell Hepburn, Canadian politician, 11th Premier of Ontario (b. 1896) * January 7 **Henry Diesen, Norwegian admiral (b. 1883) **Martin and Osa Johnson, Osa Johnson, American adventurer and documentary filmmaker (b. 1894) * January 8 – Charles Edward Merriam, American political scientist (b. 1874) * January 9 – Madame le Corbeau (Marguerite Pitre), Canadian murderer (b. 1909) (hanged) *

– Edward Marsh (polymath), Sir Edward Marsh, English polymath and civil servant (b. 1872) *

– Israel Goldstine, New Zealand lawyer and politician (b. 1898) * January 21 – Mary Mannering, early 20th-century English stage actress (b. 1876) * January 28 – James Scullin, 9th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876) * January 29 – Reginald Wingate, Sir Reginald Wingate, British army general and colonial administrator (b. 1861) * January 30 – Lionel Belmore, English actor (b. 1867)

February–March

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2000-0518-507, Julius Maniu

– William Sydney Marchant, British colonial official (b. 1894) *

– Alan Curtis (American actor), Alan Curtis, American actor (b. 1909) *

– Richard Rushall, British businessman (b. 1865) *

– Iuliu Maniu, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1873) * February 9 – Cecil Hepworth, English director (b. 1874) * February 12 – Hal Colebatch, Australian politician (b. 1872) * February 16 – James L. Kraft, Canadian-American entrepreneur, inventor (b. 1874) *

– Nobutake Kondō, Japanese admiral (b. 1886) *

– Francesco Saverio Nitti, Italian economist and political figure, 24th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1868) * February 21 – Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, Bavarian general (b. 1862) * February 24 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (b. 1875) *

– Sergei Winogradsky, Russian scientist (b. 1856) *

– Paul Hurst (actor), Paul Hurst, American actor (b. 1888) * March 2 – Jim Lightbody, American middle-distance runner (b. 1882) * March 3 – James J. Jeffries, American boxing champion (b. 1875) *

** Herman J. Mankiewicz, American writer and producer (b. 1897) ** Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet and Russian composer (b. 1891) ** Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader (b. 1878) * March 7 – Edward Sedgwick, American director (b. 1892) * March 13 – Johan Laidoner, Commander-in-chief of the Estonian Army (b. 1884) *

– Klement Gottwald, 5th List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1896) * March 15 – Carl Stockdale, American actor (b. 1874) * March 20 – Graciliano Ramos, Brazilian writer (b. 1892) * March 21 – Toni Wolff, Swiss psychoanalyst (b. 1888) * March 22 – Gustav Herglotz, German mathematician (b. 1881) * March 23 ** Raoul Dufy, French painter (b. 1875) ** Oskar Luts, Estonian writer and playwright (b. 1887) * March 24 ** Mary of Teck, consort of George V, George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867) ** Paul Couturier, French priest (b. 1881) * March 28 – Jim Thorpe, Native-American athlete and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (b. 1887) * March 31 – Ivan Lebedeff, Russian actor (b. 1895)

April

* April 2 ** Jean Epstein, French film director (b. 1897) ** Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885) *

** King Carol II of Romania (b. 1893) ** Rachilde, French author (b. 1860) * April 9 ** Eddie Cochems, American father of the forward pass in football (b. 1877) ** Hans Reichenbach, German philosopher (b. 1891) ** Stanisław Wojciechowski, 2nd President of the Republic of Poland (b. 1869) * April 11 ** Boris Kidrič, 1st Prime Minister of Slovenia (b.

) ** Kid Nichols, American baseball player (Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1869) * April 12 – Lionel Logue, Australian speech and language therapist (b. 1880) *

– Eduard C. Lindeman, American social worker and author (b. 1885) * April 20 – Erich Weinert, German writer, member of the Communist Party of Germany (b. 1890) * April 27 – Maud Gonne, English-born Irish republican revolutionary, memoirist; spouse of John MacBride (b. 1866) * April 29 – Alice Prin, French artists' model (b. 1901)

May–June

* May 1 – Everett Shinn, American painter (b. 1876) *

– Anna Rüling, German journalist, "the first known lesbian activist" (b. 1880) *

** Nicolae Rădescu, Romanian military officer and statesman, 45th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1874) ** Django Reinhardt, Belgian jazz musician (b. 1910) * May 19 – Dámaso Berenguer, Spanish soldier and Prime Minister (b. 1873) * May 21 – Ernst Zermelo, German logician and mathematician (b. 1871) * May 27 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player (Cleveland Spiders) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1868) * May 29 – Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (b. 1891) *

– Dooley Wilson, American actor (b. 1886) * May 31 – Vladimir Tatlin, Soviet and Russian painter and architect (b. 1885) * June 1 – Alex James (footballer), Alex James, Scottish football (soccer) player (b. 1901) * June 5 ** William Farnum, American actor (b. 1876) ** Bill Tilden, American tennis champion (b. 1893) ** Roland Young, English actor (b. 1887) * June 9 – Godfrey Tearle, American actor (b. 1884) * June 15 – Henry Scattergood, American cricketer (b. 1877) * June 18 – René Fonck, French aviator, top Allied World War I Flying Ace (b. 1894) * June 19 ** Harold Cazneaux, Australian photographer (b. 1878) ** Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, American communist spies (b. 1918 and 1915, respectively) (executed on same day) ** Norman Ross, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1896) * June 22 – Bill Lange (coach), Bill Lange, American sports coach (b. 1897) * June 23 – Albert Gleizes, French artist and theoretician (b. 1881) * June 30 – Elsa Beskow, Swedish author and illustrator of children's books (b. 1874)

July

* July 1 – Totius (poet), Totius, Afrikaans poet (b. 1877) *

– Annie Kenney, British working-class suffragette (b. 1879) * July 11 – Oliver Campbell, American tennis player (b. 1871) * July 12 – Herbert Rawlinson, English actor (b. 1885) * July 15 – John Christie (murderer), John Christie, English serial killer (b. 1899) (hanged) * July 16 – Hilaire Belloc, French-born British writer and historian (b. 1870) * July 17 – Maude Adams, American actress (b. 1872) * July 20 – Dumarsais Estimé, 30th President of Haiti (b. 1900) * July 26 – Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and Prime Minister of Greece, Prime Minister (b. 1883) * July 29 – Richard Pearse, New Zealand airplane pioneer (b. 1877) * July 31 – Robert A. Taft, American politician, United States Senate Majority Leader (b. 1889)

August

* August 1 – Jānis Mendriks, Soviet Roman Catholic priest (b. 1907) * August 11 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver (b. 1892) * August 15 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875) * August 22 – Jim Tabor, American baseball player (b. 1916) * August 30 ** Gaetano Merola, Italian conductor (b. 1881) ** Maurice Nicoll, British psychiatrist (b. 1884)

September

* September 2 – Jonathan M. Wainwright (general), Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general and Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1883) * September 5 ** Richard Walther Darré, Nazi SS General (b. 1895) ** Francis Ford (actor), Francis Ford, American actor and director (b. 1881) ** Constantin Levaditi, Romanian physician and microbiologist (b. 1874) * September 7 – Nobuyuki Abe, Japanese Prime Minister and military leader (b. 1875) * September 8 – Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1890) * September 12 ** Hugo Schmeisser, German weapons designer (b. 1884) ** Lewis Stone, American actor (b. 1879) * September 13 – Mary Brewster Hazelton, American painter (b. 1868) * September 15 – Erich Mendelsohn, German architect (b. 1887) * September 24 – Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba, Spanish aristocrat (born 1878) * September 26 – Xu Beihong, Chinese painter (b. 1895) * September 27 – Hans Fritzsche, German Nazi senior official, one of only three acquitted at the Nuremberg trials (b. 1900) * September 28 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer (b. 1889) * September 30 ** Robert Mawdesley, British stage and radio actor (b. 1900) ** Lewis Fry Richardson, English mathematician, physicist, meteorologist, psychologist and pacifist (b. 1881)

October

* October 3 – Arnold Bax, Sir Arnold Bax, English composer (b. 1887) * October 6 – Porter Hall, American actor (b. 1888) * October 8 ** Nigel Bruce, British character actor (b. 1895) ** Kathleen Ferrier, British contralto (b.

) * October 12 – Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, Swedish politician, 13th Prime Minister of Sweden, one of the leaders of World War I (b. 1862) * October 13 – Millard Mitchell, American actor (b. 1903) * October 14 – Arthur Wimperis, English illustrator and playwright (b. 1874) * October 20 – Robert Brooke-Popham, Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, British air chief marshal (b. 1878) * October 25 – Holger Pedersen (linguist), Holger Pedersen, Dutch linguist (b. 1867) * October 27 – Thomas Wass, English cricketer (b. 1873)

November

* November 5 – Harry A. Marmer, Ukrainian-born American mathematician and oceanographer (b. 1885) * November 8 ** Ivan Bunin, Russian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870) ** John van Melle, Dutch-born author (b. 1883) *

** Louise DeKoven Bowen, American philanthropist and activist (b. 1859) ** King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia (b. 1875) ** Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and author (b. 1914) * November 16 – T. F. O'Rahilly, Irish academic (b. 1882) * November 18 – Ruth Crawford Seeger, American composer (b. 1901) *

** António Cabreira, Portuguese polygraph (b. 1868) ** Larry Shields, American musician (b. 1893) * November 22 – Sulaiman Nadvi, Indian/Pakistani historian, biographer, littérateur and scholar of Islam (b. 1884) * November 27 – Eugene O'Neill, American writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888) * November 28 – Rudolf Bauer (artist), Rudolf Bauer, German-born painter (b. 1889) *

** Ernest Barnes, English mathematician, scientist and theologian (b. 1874) ** Sam De Grasse, Canadian actor (b. 1875) ** Milt Gross, American comic book illustrator and animator (b. 1895) * November 30 – Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (b. 1879)

December

* December – Seth Weeks, African-American jazz mandolinist, composer, arranger and bandleader (b. 1868) * December 2 ** Radu Băldescu, Romanian general (b. 1888) ** Trần Trọng Kim, Vietnamese historian and Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam (b. 1883) * December 5 ** Jorge Negrete, Mexican singer and actor (b. 1911) ** Ray Paddock, American farmer and politician (b. 1877) * December 10 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born Islamic scholar and translator (b. 1872) * December 14 – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American writer (b. 1896) * December 19 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American physicist Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868) * December 21 – Nicholas H. Heck, American geophysicist, oceanographer and surveyor (b. 1882) * December 23 – Lavrentiy Beria, Ministry of Internal Affairs (Soviet Union), Minister of Internal Affairs of the Soviet Union (b. 1899) * December 25 – Lee Shubert, Polish-born theater owner and operator (b. 1871) * December 27 ** Şükrü Saracoğlu, 9th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1887) ** Julian Tuwim, Polish poet (b. 1894) * December 31 – Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Frits Zernike * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Hermann Staudinger * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Hans Adolf Krebs, Fritz Albert Lipmann * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Winston Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – George Marshall

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1953 1953,