Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
ceases to demand
war reparations
War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war.
History
Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history.
...
from
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
.
*
January 3 – The Italian broadcaster
RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
officially begins transmitting.
*
January 7 –
Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a
machine translation
Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT (not to be confused with computer-aided translation, machine-aided human translation or interactive translation), is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates t ...
system is held in New York, at the head office of
IBM.
*
January 10 –
BOAC Flight 781
BOAC Flight 781 was a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) passenger flight from Singapore to London. On 10 January 1954, a de Havilland Comet passenger jet operating the flight suffered an explosive decompression at altitude an ...
, a
de Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four ...
jet plane, disintegrates in mid-air due to
metal fatigue
In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typically producing striations on some parts o ...
, and crashes in the Mediterranean near
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...
; all 35 people on board are killed.
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
* 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already rei ...
–
Avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...
s in Austria kill more than 200.
*
January 15 –
Mau Mau leader
Waruhiu Itote
Waruhiu Itote (1922 – 30 April 1993, aged 70-71), ''nom de guerre'' General China, was one of the key leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising (1952–1960) in British Kenya alongside Dedan Kimathi, Stanley Mathenge, Kurito ole Kisio, Musa Mwariama ...
is captured in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
.
*
January 17
Events Pre-1600
*38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...
– In
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
,
Milovan Đilas, one of the leading members of the
League of Communists of Yugoslavia, is relieved of his duties.
*
January 20 – The US-based
National Negro Network
The National Negro Network was a black-oriented radio programming service in the United States founded on January 20, 1954 by Chicago advertiser W. Leonard Evans, Jr. It was the first black-owned radio network in the country, and its programming ...
is established, with 46 member
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
s.
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
– The first nuclear-powered
submarine, the , is launched in
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London i ...
, by
First Lady of the United States Mamie Eisenhower
Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was the first lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household i ...
.
*
January 25 – The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union meet at the
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, also known as the Congo Conference (, ) or West Africa Conference (, ), regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period and coincided with Germany's sudden emergenc ...
.
February
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
– After authorizing $385 million over the $400 million already budgeted for military aid to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
,
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
warns against his country's intervention in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
*
February 19 –
1954 transfer of Crimea
The transfer of the Crimean Oblast in the Soviet Union in 1954 was an administrative action of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union that transferred the government of the Crimean Peninsula from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainia ...
: The
Soviet Politburo
The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (, abbreviated: ), or Politburo ( rus, Политбюро, p=pəlʲɪtbʲʊˈro) was the highest policy-making authority within the Communist Party of the ...
of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
orders the transfer the
Crimean Oblast
During the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, different governments existed within the Crimean Peninsula. From 1921 to 1936, the government in the Crimean Peninsula was known as the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic; ...
from the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
to the
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
(
Invaded and annexed by Russia in
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 ...
).
*
February 23 – The first mass
vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
of children against
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
begins in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, United States.
*
February 25 – Lt. Col.
Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes premier of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
** U.S. officials announce that a
hydrogen bomb test (
Castle Bravo
Castle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as part of '' Operation Castle''. Detonated on March 1, 1954, the device was the most powerful ...
) has been conducted, on
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese: , , meaning "coconut place"), sometimes known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 1800s and 1946 is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. After the Seco ...
in the Pacific Ocean.
**
U.S. Capitol shooting incident: Four
Puerto Rican nationalists
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
open fire in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
chamber and wound 5; they are apprehended by security guards.
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
– American journalists
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...
and
Fred W. Friendly produce a 30-minute ''
See It Now
''See It Now'' is an American newsmagazine and documentary series broadcast by CBS from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four Emmy ...
'' documentary, entitled ''
A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy''.
*
March 12 – Finland and Germany officially end their state of war.
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
–
Việt Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
forces under General
Võ Nguyên Giáp
Võ Nguyên Giáp (; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general and communist politician who is regarded as having been one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. He served as interior minister in President ...
began a massive artillery bombardment on the French military, beginning the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the climactic battle of the
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
.
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
–
Joey Giardello
Carmine Orlando Tilelli (July 16, 1930 – September 4, 2008) was an American boxer who was the world middleweight champion from 1963 to 1965,. He adopted the name Joey Giardello (the name of a cousin's friend) in order to join the U.S. Army whi ...
knocks out Willie Tory at
Madison Square Garden in the first
televised
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
prize fight to be shown in colour.
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
*1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
*1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...
– In Vietnam, the
Viet Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
capture the main airstrip of
Dien Bien Phu. The remaining French Army units there are partially isolated.
*
March 25
** The
26th Academy Awards
The 26th Academy Awards were held on March 25, 1954, simultaneously at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood (hosted by Fredric March), and the NBC Century Theatre in New York City (hosted by Donald O'Connor).
The second national telecast of ...
Ceremony is held.
** The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
recognises the
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. Soviet troops remain in the country.
*
March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
– The
Castle Romeo nuclear test explosion is executed at
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese: , , meaning "coconut place"), sometimes known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 1800s and 1946 is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. After the Seco ...
, in the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...
.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
** The trial of
A. L. Zissu and 12 other Zionist leaders ends with harsh sentences in
Communist Romania.
** Puerto Rico's first television station, ''
WKAQ-TV
WKAQ-TV (channel 2) is a television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, airing programming from the Telemundo and NBC networks. It is owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-TV's studios are located o ...
'', commences
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...
.
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– A
C-47 transport with French nurse
Geneviève de Galard
Geneviève de Galard (born 13 April 1925) is a French nurse who was dubbed ''l'ange de Dien Bien Phu'' ("the Angel of Dien Bien Phu") during the French war in Indochina by the press in Hanoi, although in the camp she was known simply as Genevièv ...
on board is wrecked on the runway at
Dien Bien Phu.
*
March 30
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
*1282 &ndash ...
– The first operational
subway line in Canada opens in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
** The
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
and President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
authorize the founding of the
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...
in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
**
South Point School
South Point is a higher-secondary co-educational private school located in Kolkata, West Bengal and affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, consisting of three organisations – South Point School (Nursery to Class V), South Poi ...
in India is founded, and becomes the largest school in the world by
1992.
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
–
Petrov Affair
The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy incident in Australia, concerning the defection of Vladimir Petrov, a KGB officer, from the Soviet embassy in Canberra in 1954. The defection led to a Royal Commission and the resulting controversy contribu ...
: Diplomat
Vladimir Petrov defects from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and asks for
political asylum
The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...
in Australia.
*
April 4 – Legendary symphony conductor
Arturo Toscanini experiences a lapse of memory during a concert. At this concert's end, his retirement is announced, and he never conducts in public again.
* April 7 –
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
gives his "domino theory" speech, during a news conference.
* April 8 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair North American T-6 Texan, Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Air Lines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
* April 11
** This day is denoted as the most boring day in the 20th century by True Knowledge, an Question answering, answer engine developed by William Tunstall-Pedoe. No significant newsworthy events, births, or deaths are known to have happened on this day.
** In a 1954 Belgian general election, general election in Belgium, the dominant Christian Social Party (Belgium, 1945), Christian Social Party wins 95 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium), Chamber of Representatives, and 49 of the 106 seats in the Senate (Belgium), Senate. The government led by Jean Van Houtte loses their majority in parliament. The two other main parties, the Socialist Party (Belgium), Socialist and Liberal Party (Belgium), Liberal Party, subsequently form a rare "Purple coalition, purple" government, with Achille Van Acker as Prime Minister.
* April 12 – Bill Haley & His Comets record "Rock Around the Clock" in their first session for American Decca in New York City; it is released on May 20 as a B-side, but only in 1955 becomes a #1 hit, helping to initiate the rock and roll craze.
* April 14
** Aneurin Bevan resigns from the Labour Party (UK), British Labour Party's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), Shadow Cabinet in protest over his party's failure to oppose the rearmament of West Germany.
** A Soviet spy ring in Australia is unveiled.
* April 16 – Vice President Richard Nixon announces that the United States may be "putting our own boys in Indochina regardless of Allied support".
* April 22
** The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees comes into force, defining the status of refugees and setting out the basis for granting right of asylum.
** United States Senate, Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army for being "soft" on Communism.
* April 26
** An Geneva Conference (1954), international conference on Korea and Indo-China opens in Geneva.
** Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'' is released in Japan.
* April 28 – U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accuses Communist China of sending combat troops to Indo-China to train
Viet Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
guerrillas.
May
* May 1 – The Unification Church is founded in South Korea.
* May 4 – General Alfredo Stroessner deposes Federico Chávez in a coup d'état in Paraguay; from August 15 he will hold the office of President of Paraguay, President until 1989.
* May 6 – Roger Bannister runs the first sub-four minute mile, in Oxford, England.
* May 7 – Vietnam War (run-up): The
Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat (the battle began on
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
).
* May 8 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is formed in Manila, Philippines.
* May 11 – U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles declares that Indochina is important but not essential to the security of Southeast Asia, thus ending any prospect of American intervention on the side of France.
* May 14
** The Boeing 707 airplane is released, after about 2 years of development.
** The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted in The Hague, Netherlands.
* May 15 – The Latin Union (''Unión Latina'') is created by the Convention of Madrid. Its member countries use the five Romance languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. It will suspend operations in 2012.
* May 17
** ''Brown v. Board of Education'' (347 US 483 1954): The Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that segregated schools are unconstitutional.
** The Royal Commission on the
Petrov Affair
The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy incident in Australia, concerning the defection of Vladimir Petrov, a KGB officer, from the Soviet embassy in Canberra in 1954. The defection led to a Royal Commission and the resulting controversy contribu ...
in Australia begins its inquiry.
** Adnan Menderes of the Democratic Party (Turkey, current), Democratic Party forms the new (21st) government of Turkey.
* May 20 – Chiang Kai-shek is re-elected as the president of the Republic of China, by the National Assembly of the Republic of China, National Assembly.
* May 22 – The common Nordic Passport Union, Nordic Labour Market act is signed.
* May 26 – A fire on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CV-20), USS ''Bennington'', off Narragansett Bay, Massachusetts, kills 103 sailors.
* May 29
** 1954 Australian federal election: Robert Menzies' Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal/National Party of Australia, Country Coalition (Australia), Coalition Menzies Government (1949-66), Government is re-elected with a decreased majority, defeating the Australian Labor Party, Labor Party led by H.V. Evatt. The election has come shortly after the
Petrov Affair
The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy incident in Australia, concerning the defection of Vladimir Petrov, a KGB officer, from the Soviet embassy in Canberra in 1954. The defection led to a Royal Commission and the resulting controversy contribu ...
, arguably helping the Government survive what was initially predicted to be a defeat.
** Creation and first meeting of the Bilderberg Group.
** Diane Leather becomes the first woman to run a sub-five minute mile, in Birmingham, England.
June
* June 6 – The grand opening of the Statue of Yuriy Dolgorukiy, Moscow, sculpture of Yuriy Dolgorukiy takes place in Moscow (this statue is one of the main monuments of Moscow).
* June 7 – English cryptanalyst, mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, age 41, commits suicide by cyanide poisoning.
* June 9 – McCarthyism: Joseph N. Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at United States Senate, Senator Joseph McCarthy, during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army, saying, "Have you, at long last, no decency?"
* June 14 – The words "under God" are added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance (United States), Pledge of Allegiance.
* June 15 – The UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is formed in Basel, Switzerland.
* June 17 – A 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, CIA-engineered military coup occurs in Guatemala.
* June 18 – Pierre Mendès France becomes prime minister of France.
* June 22
** Sarah Mae Flemming is expelled from a bus in South Carolina, for sitting in a white-only section.
** Parker–Hulme murder case: Pauline Parker, 16 and her friend Juliet Hulme, 15, bludgeon Parker's mother to death using a brick, at Victoria Park, Christchurch, Victoria Park in New Zealand.
* June 27
** Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz steps down in a Central Intelligence Agency, CIA-sponsored 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, military coup, triggering a bloody civil war that continues for more than 35 years.
** The world's first nuclear power, atomic power station opens at Obninsk, near Moscow.
July
* July 1
** The Nordic Passport Union, Common Nordic Labor Market Act comes into effect.
** The United States officially begins using the international unit of the nautical mile, equal to 6,076.11549 ft. or 1,852 meters.
* July 4
**Rationing in the United Kingdom, Food rationing in Great Britain ends, with the lifting of restrictions on sale and purchase of meat, 14 years after it began early in World War II, and nearly a decade after the war's end.
**1954 FIFA World Cup Final, "Miracle of Bern": Germany national football team, West Germany beats Hungary national football team, Hungary 1954 FIFA World Cup Final, 3–2 to win the 1954 FIFA World Cup.
* July 10 – Peter Thomson (golfer), Peter Thomson becomes the first Australian to win the The Open Championship, British Open Golf Championship.
* July 15
** The Boeing 367-80 (or Dash 80), prototype of the Boeing 707 series, makes its maiden flight.
** Juan Manuel Fangio, Juan Fangio, Argentina, Argentine driver for German Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix team Mercedes-Benz, makes a new fastest lap of the Silverstone Circuit, with an average speed of 100.35 mph, the previous record being 100.16 mph.
* July 19 – Release of Elvis Presley's first single, "That's All Right", by Sun Records (recorded July 5 in Memphis, Tennessee).
* July 21 –
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
: The Geneva Conference (1954), Geneva Conference sends French forces to the south, and Vietnamese forces to the north, of a ceasefire line, and calls for elections to decide the government for all of
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
by July 1956. Failure to abide by the terms of the agreement leads to the establishment of the de facto regimes of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, and the Vietnam War.
* July 29 – ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', the first of three volumes in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel, ''The Lord of the Rings'', is published in London.
* July 31 – 1954 Italian expedition to K2: Italian mountaineers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni become the first to reach the summit of the second highest mountain in the world, in the Karakoram range.
August
* August 1 – The
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
ends with the Vietnam People's Army in North Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Army in South Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–70), Kingdom of Cambodia in Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos in Laos, emerging victorious against the French Army.
* August 6 – Emilie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets, dies of asphyxiation following an epileptic seizure. She is the first of the five to perish; three live into the 21st century.
* August 16 – The first issue of ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine is published in the United States.
* August 23 – A United States Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules makes its first flight at Burbank, California, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
* August 24 – Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas commits suicide, after being accused of involvement in a conspiracy to murder his chief political opponent, Carlos Lacerda.
September
* September 6 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) treaty is signed in Manila, Philippines.
* September 8 – SEATO is established in Bangkok, Thailand.
* September 9 – The 6.7 1954 Chlef earthquake, Chlef earthquake shakes northern Algeria, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The shock destroys Orléansville, leaving 1,243–1,409 dead, and 5,000 injured.
* September 11 – The Miss America Pageant is broadcast on television for the first time.
* September 14
** The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
carries out the Totskoye nuclear exercise.
** English composer Benjamin Britten's chamber opera version of ''The Turn of the Screw (opera), The Turn of the Screw'' receives its world premiere, at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy.
* September 15 – Black Wednesday (air travel), Black Wednesday in air travel: severe delays to flights, due to bad weather, occur along the East Coast of the United States.
* September 17 – William Golding's allegorical dystopian novel ''Lord of the Flies'' is published in London.
* September 18 – Finnish president J. K. Paasikivi is the first Western head of state to be awarded the highest honor of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, the Order of Lenin.
* September 20 – The first ''Moomins'' Moomin comic strips, comic strip is published in the London newspaper ''The Evening News (London newspaper), The Evening News''.
* September 25 – Western Bulldogs, Footscray Football Club wins their first Australian Football League AFL Grand Final, Grand Final.
* September 26 – Japanese ferry ''Tōya Maru'' sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait. More than 1,100 people are killed, 7 other ships are List of shipwrecks in 1954#26 September, wrecked, and at least nine others seriously damaged.
* September 27 – ''The Tonight Show'' first airs on live television on NBC in the United States being the first late night talk show.
* September 30 – The , the first nuclear-powered
submarine in the world, is commissioned into the U.S. Navy.
October
* October 11
** Pre-Vietnam War: The
Viet Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
takes control of North Vietnam.
** Hurricane Hazel crosses over Haiti, killing 1,000.
* October 15 – Hurricane Hazel makes U.S. landfall; it is the only recorded Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale#Category 4, Category 4 hurricane to strike as far north as North Carolina
* October 18
** Texas Instruments announces the development of the first commercial transistor radio. The Regency TR-1 goes on sale the following month.
** The comic strip ''Hi and Lois'', by Mort Walker and Dik Browne, is launched in the United States.
* October 23
** West Germany joins NATO.
** London and Paris Conferences#Paris, Paris Agreement sets up the Western European Union to implement the Treaty of Brussels (1948), providing for mutual self-defence and other collaboration between Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
* October 25 – Landslides caused by heavy rains hit Salerno, Italy, killing about 300.
* October 26 – Muslim Brotherhood member Mahmoud Abdul Latif tries to kill
Gamal Abdel Nasser.
* October 31 – Algerian War, Algerian War of Independence: The National Liberation Front (Algeria), Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule.
November
* November 1 – The National Liberation Front (Algeria), FLN attacks representative and public buildings of the French colonial power.
* November 2
** The dock workers' strike in the United Kingdom, UK comes to an end.
** The radio program ''Hancock's Half Hour'', a pioneer in situation comedy, is first broadcast on BBC Radio (a television version will follow in 1956).
* November 3 – The first Godzilla (1954 film), ''Godzilla'' film premieres in Tokyo.
* November 5 – Japan and Burma sign a peace treaty in Rangoon, to end their long-extinct state of war.
* November 10 – U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial), at the Arlington National Cemetery.
* November 12 – The main immigration port-of-entry in New York Harbor at Ellis Island closes permanently.
* November 13 – Great Britain national rugby league team, Great Britain defeats France national rugby league team, France, to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators
* November 14 –
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian president Muhammad Naguib is deposed, and
Gamal Abdel Nasser replaces him.
* November 22 – ''Berman v. Parker'' (348 U.S. 26): The Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court upholds the federal slum clearance and urban renewal programs.
* November 23 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises 3.27 points, or 0.86 percent, closing at an all-time high of 382.74. More significantly, this is the first time the Dow has surpassed its peak level, reached just before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
* November 30 – In Sylacauga, Alabama, a four-kilogram piece of the Sylacauga (meteorite), Hodges Meteorite crashes through the roof of a house and badly bruises a napping woman, in the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person.
December
* December 1 – The first Hyatt, Hyatt Hotel, The Hyatt House Los Angeles, opens on the grounds of Los Angeles International Airport. It is the first hotel in the world built on an airport property.
* December 2
** Second Red Scare, Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 67–22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy, for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
** The Taiwan-United States Mutual Defense Treaty is signed.
* December 4 – The first Burger King opens in Miami, Miami, Florida.
* December 15 – The Netherlands Antilles is created out of the Dutch Caribbean nations. It is dissolved between 1986 and 2010.
* December 23 – J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray perform the world's first successful kidney transplantation, in Boston, Massachusetts.
* December 24 – Laos gains full independence from France.
Date titles
* New Zealand engineer Bill Hamilton (engineer), Sir William Hamilton develops the first pump-jet engine (the "Hamilton Jet") capable of propelling a jetboat.
* The first electric drip brew coffeemaker is patented in Germany and named the Wigomat after its inventor Gottlob Widmann.
* The Boy Scouts of America desegregates on the basis of race.
* Gerbils (''Meriones unguiculatus'') are brought to the United States by Dr. Victor Schwentker.
* The case of Lothar Malskat, who had admitted that he had painted the supposedly antique frescoes in Marienkirche, Lübeck, Marienkirche himself, goes to trial.
* The TV dinner is introduced, by American entrepreneur Gerry Thomas.
* In South Vietnam, the
Viet Minh
The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
is reorganised into the Viet Cong.
* After the death of Joseph Stalin, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
starts releasing political prisoners and deportees from its Gulag prison camps.
Births
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
** Thomas Aisu, Ugandan physician, educator (d. 2018)
** Djimrangar Dadnadji, 16th prime minister of Chad (d. 2019)
* January 2 – Henry Bonilla, American politician
*
January 3
** Ned Lamont, American politician
** Ross the Boss, American heavy metal/punk guitarist
* January 4
** Tina Knowles, African-American fashion designer; mother of R&B singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles
** Dave Ulliott, Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott, English professional poker player
* January 5 – Alex English, American basketball player
* January 6 – Anthony Minghella, British film, theatre director (d. 2008)
*
January 7
** Jodi Long, American actress
** José María Vitier, Cuban music composer, pianist
* January 8 – Julieta Castellanos, Honduran sociologist
* January 11 – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
* January 11 - Balachandra Menon, Indian Malayalam film director and actor
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
* 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already rei ...
– Howard Stern, American radio host
* January 13 – Trevor Rabin, South African–American musician
* January 14 – Masanobu Fuchi, Japanese professional wrestler
*
January 15 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino writer
* January 16 – Morten P. Meldal, Danish chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* January 19
** Ted DiBiase, American professional wrestler
** Katey Sagal, American actress and singer
** Katharina Thalbach, German actress
** Yumi Matsutōya, Japanese singer-songwriter
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
– Thomas de Maizière, German politician
* January 22 – Peter Pilz, Austrian politician
* January 23
** Franco De Vita, Venezuelan singer, songwriter
** Edward Ka-Spel, British/Dutch singer and songwriter (The Legendary Pink Dots)
* January 28
** Peter Lampe, German theologian, historian
** Bruno Metsu, French football coach (d. 2013)
** Kaneto Shiozawa, Japanese voice actor (d. 2000)
** Willy Telavi, 11th prime minister of Tuvalu
* January 29
** Yukinobu Hoshino, Japanese cartoonist
** Oprah Winfrey, African-American actress, talk show hostess, producer and publisher
* January 31 – Mark Slavin, Israeli wrestler (d. 1972)
February
* February 1 – Bill Mumy, American actor, musician (''Lost In Space'')
* February 2 – Christie Brinkley, American model
* February 4 – Andrei Karlov, Russian diplomat (d. 2016)
* February 7 – Dieter Bohlen, German music producer and singer-songwriter (''Modern Talking, Blue System'')
* February 9 – Gina Rinehart, Australian mining tycoon
* February 11 – Noriyuki Asakura, Japanese composer
* February 12
** Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist, academic
** Evangelos Basiakos, Greek politician, long term MP, and minister
** Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author
* February 13 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (d. 1989)
* February 15 – Matt Groening, American cartoonist (''The Simpsons'')
* February 16
** Iain Banks, Scottish author (d. 2013)
** Margaux Hemingway, American fashion model and actress (d. 1996)
* February 17
** Rene Russo, American actress, fashion model
** Yuji Takada (wrestler), Yuji Takada, Japanese free-style wrestler
** Brian Houston (pastor), Brian Houston, Australian-New Zealand pastor, author and founder of Hillsong Church
* February 18
** John Travolta, American actor
** Jalaluddin Hassan, Malaysian actor
*
February 19
** Messaouda Boubaker, Tunisian writer
** Michael Gira, American musician
** Sócrates, Brazilian footballer (d. 2011)
* February 20
** Anthony Head, English actor, musician
** Patty Hearst, American heiress and kidnap victim
*
February 23 – Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine
* February 24 – Sid Meier, Canadian programmer, game designer, notable for the ''Civilization series, Civilization'' series
*
February 25 – Gerardo Pelusso, Uruguayan football manager
* February 26 – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, List of Presidents of Turkey, 12th President of Turkey
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
** Peter Spellos, American actor, voice actor
** Catherine Bach, American actress (''The Dukes of Hazzard'')
** Ron Howard, American actor, director, producer (''The Andy Griffith Show,'' ''Happy Days'')
* March 2
** Ed Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player
** Gara Takashima, Japanese voice actress
* March 4
** François Fillon, Prime Minister of France
** Catherine O'Hara, Canadian actress (''Second City Television, SCTV'')
** Irina Ratushinskaya, Russian writer
** Willie Thorne, English snooker player (d. 2020)
* March 5 – João Lourenço, President of Angola
* March 6 – Harald Schumacher, German football goalkeeper
* March 8
** Marie-Theres Nadig, Swiss alpine skier
** David Wilkie (swimmer), David Wilkie, Scottish former world record holder, Olympic gold medallist swimmer (1976)
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
** Bobby Sands, Irish republican hunger striker (d. 1981)
** Kevin Wade, American screenwriter, television producer
* March 11 – Nicolae Manea, Romanian football player, manager (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 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
– Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos, The Baroness Amos, British politician
* March 15
** Massimo Bubola, Italian singer, songwriter
** Craig Wasson, American actor
* March 16
** S.A. Griffin, American actor, poet
** Nancy Wilson (rock musician), Nancy Wilson, American rock musician
** Jimmy Nail, English singer, songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer
* March 17 – Lesley-Anne Down, British actress
* March 18 – James F. Reilly, American astronaut
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
– Indu Shahani, Indian educator, Sheriff of Mumbai
* March 20 – Louis Sachar, American author
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
*1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
*1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...
** Geno Auriemma, American basketball coach
** Hideyuki Hori, Japanese voice actor
* March 24
** Mike Braun, American businessman and politician
** Robert Carradine, American actor
** Donna Pescow, American actress, director (''Angie (TV series), Angie'')
** Rafael Orozco Maestre, Colombian singer (d.
1992)
* March 26
** Wendy Fulton, American actress
** Kazuhiko Inoue, Japanese voice actor
** Clive Palmer, Australian mining tycoon
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre (d. 1985)
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
** Dieter Müller, German soccer player
** Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter (''Toto (band), Toto'') (d.
1992)
* April 2 – Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese musician
*
April 4
** Mary-Margaret Humes, American actress
** Tom Ruegger, American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and lyricist
* April 5
** David Edward Maust, American serial killer (d. 2006)
** Guy Bertrand (broadcaster), Guy Bertrand, Canadian linguist, radio/television personality
* April 6
** Judi Bowker, English actress
** Michael Simms (publisher), Michael Simms, American poet, publisher; founded ''Autumn House Press''
* April 7
** Jackie Chan, Hong Kong-born actor, martial artist
** Tony Dorsett, American football player
* April 8 – Gary Carter, American baseball player (d. 2012)
* April 9
** Steve Holt (Canadian musician), Steve Holt, Canadian musician
** Dennis Quaid, American actor
* April 10
** Anacani, Mexican-born American singer (''The Lawrence Welk Show'')
** Angelika Hellmann, East German artistic gymnast
* April 14
** Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese manga artist (''Akira (Akira), Akira'')
** Bruce Sterling, American science fiction writer
* April 16 – Ellen Barkin, American actress
* April 17
** Norio Imamura, Japanese voice actor
** Roddy Piper, Canadian wrestler (d. 2015)
* April 22 – Jōji Nakata, Japanese voice actor
* April 23
** Peter Nyombi, Ugandan lawyer, politician (d. 2018)
** Michael Moore, American filmmaker, political activist (''Bowling for Columbine'')
** Lea Black, American philanthropist, author, television personality, political activist and entrepreneur
* April 25
** Randy Cross, American football player, broadcaster
* April 27
** Herman Edwards, American football head coach
** Frank Bainimarama, Fijian politician
* April 28 – Michael Daugherty, American composer
* April 29
** Jake Burton Carpenter, American founder of Burton Snowboards (d. 2019)
** Kazuko Kurosawa, Japanese costume designer
** Jerry Seinfeld, American actor, comedian and producer (''Seinfeld'')
* April 30 – Jane Campion, New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director
May
* May 1
** Ray Parker Jr., African-American musician and composer ("Ghostbusters (song), Ghostbusters")
** Maatia Toafa, 2-time prime minister of Tuvalu
* May 2 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer
* May 5 – David Azulai, Israeli politician (d. 2018)
* May 6 – Angela Hernández Nuñez, Dominican writer
* May 7
** Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist
** Amy Heckerling, American film director
** Diana Raab, American author
* May 8 – Pam Arciero, Hawaiian-born puppeteer (''Sesame Street'')
* May 10 – Amos Guttman, Israeli film director (d. 1993)
* May 13 – Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Australian-born Irish singer, composer and Eurovision Song Contest winner (1980, 1987) dubbed as "Mister Eurovision"
* May 14
** María Dolores Katarain ("Yoyes"), Spanish Basque separatist leader (d. 1986)
** Peter J. Ratcliffe, English cellular biologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate
* May 19
** Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor
** Phil Rudd, Australian rock drummer (AC/DC)
* May 20 – David Paterson, American politician, 55th Governor of New York
* May 22 – Shuji Nakamura, Japanese electronics engineer
* May 23 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American middleweight boxer and film actor (d. 2021)
* May 25
** Tantely Andrianarivo, 11th prime minister of Madagascar
** Sudirman (singer), Sudirman, Malaysian singer and songwriter (d.
1992)
* May 27
** Pauline Hanson, Australian politician
** Lawrence M. Krauss, American theoretical physicist, science writer
** Coney Reyes, Philippine film and television actress
* May 28 – John Tory, Canadian politician
* May 29 – Pankaj Kapur, Indian actor
June
* June 2
** Mattos Nascimento, Brazilian musician, singer, composer and trombonist
** Dennis Haysbert, African-American actor
** Chiyoko Kawashima, Japanese voice actress
* June 4 – Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor, voice actor
* June 5
** Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Indonesian entrepreneur, politician
** Nancy Stafford, American actress, Christian author
* June 6 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor
* June 9
** John Hagelin, American physicist, U.S. presidential candidate
** Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada
* June 10 – Kurt Walker (ice hockey), Kurt Walker, American ice hockey player (d. 2018)
* June 13 – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian-born Director-General of the World Trade Organization
* June 14 – Will Patton, American actor
* June 15
** Jim Belushi, American actor, comedian, singer and musician
** Bob McDonnell, American politician
* June 16 – Sergey Kuryokhin, Russian pianist, composer, improvisor, performance artist and actor (d. 1996)
* June 19
** Ted Coombs, American artist
** Kathleen Turner, American actress (''Romancing the Stone'')
* June 20
** Michael Anthony (musician), Michael Anthony, American rock bassist (Van Halen)
** Karlheinz Brandenburg, German electrical engineer, mathematician
** Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force fighter pilot, Israel's first astronaut (d. 2003)
* June 21
** Chip Ingram, American Christian pastor, author and orator
** Mark Kimmitt, U.S general
** Anne Kirkbride, British actress (''Coronation Street'') (d. 2015)
** Robert Pastorelli, American actor (d. 2004)
** Jim Tooey, American actor
* June 22
** Chris Lemmon, American actor, author
** Freddie Prinze, American actor, comedian (''Chico and the Man'') (d. 1977)
* June 23
** Francisco Javier Cuadra, Chilean lawyer, academic and politician
** Carme Pinós, Spanish architect
** James Plaskitt, British politician
* June 24 – Chang San-cheng, Taiwanese politician
* June 25
** Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Brazilian actor
** Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
** Igor Lisovsky, Soviet pair skater
** Abderrazak Kilani, Tunisian politician, lawyer
* June 26 – Steve Barton, American actor (d. 2001)
* June 27
** Ron Kirk, Mayor of Dallas, Texas
** Anita Zagaria, Italian actress
* June 28
** Daniel Dantas (actor), Daniel Dantas, Brazilian actor
** Ava Barber, American country singer (''The Lawrence Welk Show'')
** Alice Krige, South African actress and producer
* June 29
** Jai Jagadish, Indian film actor, director and producer
** Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player, coach
* June 30
** Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia
** Stephen Ouimette, Canadian actor, director
** Mohammad A. Quayum, Bangladeshi academic, writer, editor, critic and translator
** Wayne Swan, Australian politician
** Pierre Charles (Dominican politician), Pierre Charles, Prime Minister of Dominica (d. 2004)
July
* July 1
** Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Somali politician
** Pedro Guastavino, Argentine politician
** Lawrence Gonzi, Maltese politician and lawyer
** Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iraqi-Iranian military commander (d. 2020)
** Hossein Nuri, Iranian artist
* July 2
** Ludmila Aslanian, Armenian chess player
** Peter Randall-Page, British artist
** Wendy Schaal, American actress
* July 3 – Pennie Lane Trumbull, American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and entrepreneur
* July 4 – Anne Lambton, British actress
* July 5
** Don Stark, American actor
** John Wright (cricketer, born 1954), John Wright, New Zealand cricket captain
* July 6 – Willie Randolph, American baseball player, coach, manager
* July 7
** Robert M. Price, American theologian and writer, Cthulhu Mythos scholar and editor
** Simon Anderson, Australian competitive surfer, surfboard shaper, and writer
** Ursula Stephens, Australian politician
* July 8
** David Aaronovitch, English journalist, television presenter and author
** Matthew Marsh (actor), Matthew Marsh, English actor
* July 9 – Kevin O'Leary, Canadian businessman, television personality, and political candidate
* July 10
** Andre Dawson, American baseball player
** Michele Serra, Italian writer, journalist and satirist
** Neil Tennant, British singer-songwriter, musician and journalist (Pet Shop Boys)
** Yō Yoshimura, Japanese voice actor (d. 1991)
** José González Ganoza, Peruvian footballer (d. 1987)
* July 11 – Alejandro Camacho, Mexican actor and producer
* July 12
** Lisa Pelikan, American actress
** Paulo Saldiva, Brazilian professor, physician, pathologist and medical researcher
* July 13 – Sezen Aksu, Turkey, Turkish singer
* July 15
** Neil Brewer, British musician and songwriter
** Tarak Dhiab, Tunisian footballer
** John Ferguson (rugby league), John Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
** Mario Kempes, Argentine footballer
** Jeff Jarvis, American journalist, professor, public speaker and television critic
* July 16
** Nicholas Frankau, English actor
** Jeanette Mott Oxford, American politician
* July 17
** Angela Merkel, 8th Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), Chancellor of Germany
** Richard Bekins, American actor
** Edward Natapei, Vanuatu politician and Prime Minister of Vanuatu (d. 2015)
** J. Michael Straczynski, American author
* July 18 – Franziska Troegner, German actress
* July 19 – Verica Kalanović, Serbian politician
* July 20
** Lo Ta-yu, Taiwanese singer and songwriter
** Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, Vietnamese politician; 10th President of Vietnam, 7th Prime Minister of Vietnam
** Wilson Casey, American syndicated columnist and entertainer
* July 21 – Otto Jespersen (comedian), Otto Jespersen, Norwegian comedian, actor and television personality
* July 22 – Pierre Lebeau, Canadian actor
* July 24
** Michael H. O'Brien, American politician (d. 2018)
** Jorge Jesus, Portuguese football player and coach
* July 25 – Walter Payton, African-American football player (d. 1999)
* July 26
** Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player (d. 1994)
** Leonardo Daniel, Mexican actor and director
* July 27
** Philippe Alliot, French race car driver
** Lynne Frederick, British actress (d. 1994)
* July 28 – Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela (d. 2013)
* July 29 – Mark Gersmehl, American Christian musician
August
* August 1
** Gurinder Singh, Baba Gurinder Singh, Fifth and Present Satguru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas
** Philip Trenary, American businessman (d. 2018)
** Michael Badnarik, American software engineer and presidential candidate
** James Gleick, American non fiction author of several award-winning books.
** Junpei Morita, Japanese actor and voice actor
* August 2 – David Tang, Hong Kong-British entrepreneur and philanthropist (d. 2017)
* August 4
** Dorottya Udvaros, Hungarian actress
** François Valéry, French singer-songwriter and composer
** Uwe Wittwer, Swiss artist
* August 7 – Susanna Javicoli, Italian actress (d. 2005)
* August 9 – Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete Thomas, British drummer for the Elvis Costello band
* August 11 – Joe Jackson (musician), Joe Jackson, British singer-songwriter (''Steppin' Out'')
* August 12
** François Hollande, President of France 2012–17
** Sam J. Jones, American actor
** Pat Metheny, American jazz guitarist
* August 13
** Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass guitar player (d. 2001)
** Tõnu Kilgas, Estonian singer and actor
* August 14
** Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (d. 2009)
** Stanley A. McChrystal, U.S. Army general
* August 16
** James Cameron, Canadian-born film director
** George Galloway, British politician
* August 17
** Anatoly Kudryavitsky, Russian-Irish writer
** Andrés Pastrana Arango, President of Colombia
* August 20
** Tawn Mastrey, American disc jockey and music video producer (d. 2007)
** Al Roker, American television personality and host
** Richarda Schmeisser, East German artistic gymnast
* August 21
** Steve Smith (musician), Steve Smith, American drummer
** Ivan Stang, American author and publisher
* August 22 – Jay Patterson, American actor
* August 23
** Ian Bartholomew, English actor
** Charles Busch, American director, writer and actor
** Halimah Yacob, 8th president of Singapore
* August 24
** Joe Ochman, American actor and voice actor
** Philippe Cataldo, French singer
* August 25
** Bruno Manser, Swiss environmental activist (d. 2005)
** Elvis Costello, English singer-songwriter
* August 29 – István Cserháti, Hungarian keyboardist (d. 2005)
* August 30 – Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus
* August 31
** Robert Kocharyan, President of Armenia
** Caroline Cossey, British model
September
* September 1 – Dave Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player
* September 2
** Andrej Babiš, Czech entrepreneur and politician, 12th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
** Vance DeGeneres, American actor
** Zeta Emilianidou, Cypriot lawyer and politician (d. 2022)
** Gai Waterhouse, Australian racehorse trainer
** Humberto Zurita, Mexican actor, director and producer
* September 5 – Danny Masterton, Scottish footballer (d. 2020)
* September 6 – Carly Fiorina, American businesswoman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard, HP (1999-2005) and Senator Ted Cruz's running mate in the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 presidential election
* September 7
** Corbin Bernsen, American actor
** Michael Emerson, American actor
** Francisco Guterres, 4th president of East Timor
* September 9 – Mohsen Rezaee, Iranian politician
* September 10 – Mark W. Everson, American businessman; 46th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (2003–07)
* September 13 – Steve Kilbey, Australian musician
* September 14 – Buzz Schneider, American professional ice hockey player
* September 15 – Nava Semel, Israeli author and playwright (d. 2017)
* September 16 – Ashrita Furman, American record breaker
* September 17
** Wayne Krenchicki, American baseball player (d. 2018)
** Joël-François Durand, French composer
* September 18 – Dennis Johnson, American basketball player (d. 2007)
* September 21
** Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2022)
** Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist
** Cass Sunstein, American legal scholar
** Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, English drummer (Motörhead and Waysted)
* September 23 – Cherie Blair, lawyer, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair
* September 24 – Lilian Mercedes Letona, Salvadoran guerrilla (d. 1983)
* September 26 – Kevin Kennedy (baseball), Kevin Kennedy, American baseball manager and television host
* September 28 – Steve Largent, American football player and congressman
* September 29 – Cindy Morgan, American actress
* September 30
** Barry Williams (actor), Barry Williams, American actor
** Patrice Rushen, African-American singer
October
* October 1 – Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer
* October 2 – Wong Tien Fatt, Malaysian politician (d. 2019)
* October 3
** Eddie DeGarmo, American Christian keyboardist and producer
** Dennis Eckersley, American baseball player
** Al Sharpton, African-American civil rights activist, minister and radio talk show host
** Dawayne Bailey, American musician
** Stevie Ray Vaughan, American musician (d. 1990)
* October 5
** Gurudas Kamat, Indian politician (d. 2018)
** Wayne Watson, American Christian musician
* October 6 – Howard Hoffman, American voice actor
* October 7 – Robert A. Schuller, American televangelist and the son of Robert Schuller
* October 9
** Scott Bakula, American actor (''Quantum Leap'', ''Star Trek: Enterprise'')
** John O'Hurley, American actor and game show host
* October 10
** Mohamed Mounir, Egyptian singer and actor
** David Lee Roth, American rock singer
* October 12
** Evalie A. Bradley, Anguillian politician and member of the House of Assembly of Anguilla.
** Linval Thompson, Jamaican singer and producer
* October 13 – Mordechai Vanunu, a former Israeli nuclear technician who revealed secrets of its nuclear weapons program
* October 14 – Mohamad Sabu, Malaysian politician
* October 15
** Peter Bakowski, Australian poet
** Michael Garner, English actor
* October 18 – Yūji Mitsuya, Japanese voice actor
* October 19
** Ken Stott, Scottish actor
** Ronnie Leitch, Sri Lankan singer and actor (d. 2018)
* October 21 – Brian Tobin, sixth Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
* October 22 – Ellen Gerstell, American voice actress
* October 23 – Ang Lee, Taiwanese film director
* October 24
** Doug Davidson, American actor
** Mike Rounds, South Dakota politician
** Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, 28th Prime Minister of Australia
* October 25
** Laxmikant Berde, Indian actor (d. 2004)
** Mike Eruzione, American ice hockey player
* October 26
** Farit Ismeth Emir, Malaysian news anchor (d. 2020)
** Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, Mozambican politician
** Victor Ciorbea, 56th prime minister of Romania
* October 30
** Kathleen Cody (actor), Kathleen Cody, American actress
** Mario Testino, Peruvian photographer
November
* November 2 – Angela Webber, Australian author, television writer, producer and comedian (d. 2007)
* November 3
** Adam Ant, British rock singer and musician
** Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actress
** Kathy Kinney, American actress and comedian
* November 5
** Mike Gabriel, American animator and film producer
** Alejandro Sabella, Argentine footballer and manager (d. 2020)
* November 6 – Karin Fossum, Norwegian crime fiction writer
* November 7
** Robin Beck, American singer
** Kamal Haasan, Indian actor, dancer, film director, screenwriter, producer and politician
** Jon Taffer, American bar consultant, television host and author
* November 8
** Michael D. Brown, first Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response, a division of the United States' Department of Homeland Security
** Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese-born British author, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate
* November 11 – Mary Gaitskill, American novelist
* November 12 – Rhonda Shear, American television hostess, actress and comedian
* November 13 – Chris Noth, American actor
* November 14
** Yanni, Greek musician
** Robert Alberts, Dutch footballer and manager of Persib Bandung
** Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player
** Bernard Hinault, French road bicycle racer
** Condoleezza Rice, American politician, 66th United States Secretary of State
* November 15
** Stephen W. Burns, American actor (d. 1990)
** Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland
* November 16 – Bruce Edwards (caddy), Bruce Edwards, American golf caddy (d. 2004)
* November 19 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt
* November 20
** Bin Shimada, Japanese voice actor
* November 22 – Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister of Italy
* November 23
** Elizabeth Savalla, Brazilian actress
** Bruce Hornsby, American rock singer
* November 26
** Roz Chast, American cartoonist
** Dan Kwong, American performance artist and playwright
* November 27
** Patricia McPherson, American actress
** Kimmy Robertson, American actress
* November 28 – Marty Grabstein, American actor and voice actor
* November 29 – Coen brothers, Joel Coen, American film director, producer, screenwriter and editor
* November – Pierre M'Pelé, African public health personality and writer
December
* December 1 – Bob Goen, American television personality and game show host
* December 2
** Dan Butler, American actor and voice actor
** Stone Phillips, American television journalist
* December 3 – Grace Andreacchi, American author
* December 4 – Tony Todd, American actor and producer
* December 6 – Beat Furrer, Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor
* December 7 – Mark Hofmann, American forger and murderer
* December 8 – Sumi Shimamoto, Japanese voice actress
* December 9 – Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg politician
* December 10 – Jack Hues, English singer and musician (Wang Chung (band), Wang Chung)
* December 11
** Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricketer (d. 1999)
** Jermaine Jackson, African-American singer and actor
** Prachanda, Nepalese Communist leader
* December 13 – John Anderson (musician), John Anderson, American country music singer-songwriter
* December 14
** Ib Andersen, Danish dancer
** Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (d. 1993)
* December 15 – Mark Warner, American politician
* December 18
** Uli Jon Roth, German rock guitarist (''Scorpions'')
** Ray Liotta, American actor and producer (d. 2022)
* December 20
** Binali Yildirim, Prime Minister of Turkey
** Sandra Cisneros, American writer
* December 21 – Chris Evert, American tennis player
* December 23 – Brian Teacher, American tennis player
* December 24 – José María Figueres, Costa Rican politician, President (1994–1998)
* December 25
** Roman Baskin, Estonian actor and director of stage and screen (d. 2018)
** Annie Lennox, British pop musician and lead singer of Eurythmics
* December 26
** Susan Butcher, American dog-sled racer (d. 2006)
** Ozzie Smith, HOF baseball shortstop
* December 27 – Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean politician and 5th Senior Minister of Singapore
* December 28
** Gayle King, African-American television personality, journalist, and author
** Lanny Poffo, American professional wrestler
** Denzel Washington, African-American actor
* December 29
** Wang Huanyu, Chinese astrophysicist (d. 2018)
** Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician
** Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
* December 31 – Alex Salmond, Scottish politician
Date not known
*Marek Smurzyński, Polish translator, Persian language speaker and translator (d. 2009)
Deaths
January
* January 5
** Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player (Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1891)
** Lillian Rich, English actress (b. 1900)
* January 8 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian artist (b. 1898)
* January 11
** John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, British politician (b. 1873)
** Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870)
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
* 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already rei ...
** William H. P. Blandy, American admiral (b. 1890)
** Elmer H. Geran, American politician (b. 1875)
* January 18 – Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (b. 1879)
*
January 20 – Fred Root, English cricketer (b. 1890)
* January 30
** John Murray Anderson, Canadian theater director and producer (b. 1886)
** Dorothy Price, Irish physician (b. 1890)
* January 31
** Edwin Howard Armstrong, American electrical engineer (b. 1890)
** Florence Bates, American actress (b. 1888)
February
* February 6 – Maxwell Bodenheim, American poet and novelist (murdered) (b. 1892)
* February 8 – Laurence Trimble, American actor (b. 1885)
* February 9 – Mabel Paige, American actress (b. 1880)
* February 11 – Thomas Pierrepoint, British executioner (b. 1870)
* February 12 – Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (b. 1896)
*
February 19 – Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp, 24th Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1883)
* February 21 – William K. Howard, American film director (b. 1899)
March
* March 7
** Otto Diels, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
** Will H. Hays, Namesake for the Motion Picture Production Code, Hays Code (b. 1879)
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
– Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer (b. 1874)
*
March 12 – Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (b. 1870)
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
– Cesar Klein, German painter (b. 1876)
* March 24 – Thành Thái, Emperor of Vietnam (b. 1879)
* March 26 – Louis Silvers, American film composer (b. 1889)
*
March 30
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
*1282 &ndash ...
** Horatio Dresser, American writer (b. 1866)
** Fritz London, German physicist (b. 1900)
April
* April 2
** Hoyt Vandenberg, United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force general (b. 1899)
** Maud Barger-Wallach, American tennis player (b. 1870)
* April 7 – Saburō Kurusu, Japanese diplomat (b. 1886)
* April 8
** Winnifred Eaton (writer), Winnifred Eaton, Canadian author (b. 1875)
** Fritzi Scheff, Austrian-born American actress and singer (b. 1879)
* April 10 – Auguste and Louis Lumière, Auguste Lumière, French film pioneer (b. 1862)
* April 12 – Luis Cabrera Lobato, Mexican lawyer, politician and writer (b. 1876)
* April 13 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Nova Scotia Premier (b. 1890)
* April 17 – Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian communist activist and sociologist (b. 1900)
* April 27
** Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski, Polish scientist and explorer who participated in the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, Belgian Antarctic expedition (b. 1872)
** Thorvald Ellegaard, Danish track cyclist (b. 1877)
* April 28 – Léon Jouhaux, French labor leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1879)
* April 29 – Joe May, Austrian-born director (b. 1880)
May
* May 1 – Tom Tyler, American actor (b. 1903)
* May 3 – Józef Garbień, Polish footballer and physician (b. 1896)
* May 5 – Henri Laurens, French sculptor and illustrator (b. 1885)
* May 6 – B. C. Forbes, Scottish-born publisher (b. 1880)
* May 14 – Heinz Guderian, German World War II general (b. 1888)
* May 15 – William March, American writer and soldier (b. 1893)
* May 19 – Charles Ives, American composer (b. 1874)
* May 22 – Chief Bender, Native-American baseball player (Philadelphia Athletics) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1884)
* May 25 – Robert Capa, Hungarian-born photojournalist (b. 1913)
* May 26 – Omer Nishani, former Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly and head of State of Albania (b. 1887)
June
* June 7 – Alan Turing, British mathematician, cryptanalyst, and pioneer computer scientist (b. 1912)
* June 9 – Alain LeRoy Locke, American writer, philosopher and educator (b. 1885)
* June 21 – Harvey A. Carr, American psychologists (b. 1873)
* June 22 – Don Hollenbeck, American newscaster (b. 1905)
* June 24 – Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman, 5th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1874)
* June 27 – Alfredo Versoza, Filipino Roman Catholic bishop and Servant of God (b. 1877)
* June 30 – Andrass Samuelsen, 1st prime minister of Faroe Islands (b. 1873)
July
* July 1
** Thea von Harbou, German actress (b. 1888)
** Tomás Monje , 41st President of Bolivia (b. 1884)
* July 3 – Reginald Marsh (artist), Reginald Marsh, American painter (b. 1898)
* July 4 – Maria Ripamonti, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic and a Nun, professed religious from the Handmaids of Charity, Ancelle della carità (b. 1909)
* July 6
** Gabriel Pascal, Hungarian-born film producer and director (b. 1894)
** Cornelia Sorabji, Indian-born lawyer (b. 1866)
* July 11 – Henry Valentine Knaggs, English physician and author (b. 1859)
* July 13
** Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter (b. 1907)
** Irving Pichel, American actor and director (b. 1891)
** Grantland Rice, American sportswriter (b. 1880)
* July 14
** Jacinto Benavente, Spanish dramatist, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
** Jackie Saunders, American silent screen actress (b. 1892)
* July 16 – Herms Niel, German composer (b. 1888)
* July 17 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (b. 1895)
* July 19 – Hannes Meyer, Swiss architect (b. 1889)
* July 28 – Sōjin Kamiyama or "Sojin", Japanese film star during the American silent film era (b. 1884)
* July 31 – Princess Antonia of Luxembourg, Luxembourg aristocrat (b. 1899)
August
* August 3
** Bess Streeter Aldrich, American writer (b. 1881)
** Colette, French novelist (b. 1873)
* August 14 – Hugo Eckener, German president of the Zeppelin Dirigible Company (b. 1868)
* August 19 – Alcide De Gasperi, Italian statesman and Christian Democracy politician, 30th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1881)
* August 21 – Marin Ceaușu, Romanian general (b. 1891)
* August 24 – Getúlio Vargas, 14th and 17th President of Brazil (suicide) (b. 1882)
* August 31 – Elsa Barker, American writer (b. 1869)
September
* September 1 – Bert Acosta, American aviator (b. 1895)
* September 2 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German- political activist and Marxist theorist (b. 1900)
* September 3 – Eugene Pallette, American actor (b. 1889)
* September 5 – Eugen Schiffer, German politician (b. 1860)
* September 6 – Edward C. Kalbfus, American admiral (b. 1877)
* September 7
** Bud Fisher, American cartoonist (b. 1885)
** Glenn Scobey Warner, American college football coach (b. 1871)
* September 8 – André Derain, French artist, painter and sculptor (b. 1880)
* September 20 – Washington Phillips, American gospel singer and instrumentalist (b. 1880)
* September 21 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese pearl farm pioneer (b. 1858)
* September 24 – Edward Pilgrim, British homeowner (suicide) (b. 1904)
* September 25 – Eugeni d'Ors, Eugenio d'Ors, Spanish writer (b. 1881)
* September 26 – Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player (b. 1868)
* September 27 – Maximilian von Weichs, German field marshal (b. 1881)
* September 28 – Bert Lytell, American actor (b. 1885)
* September 29 – Martin Wetzer, Finnish general (b. 1868)
October
* October 1 – René Le Senne, French philosopher and psychologist (b. 1882)
* October 9 – Robert H. Jackson, United States Supreme Court associate justice and chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials (b. 1892)
* October 12 – George Welch (pilot), George Welch, American aviator (b. 1918)
* October 18 – Mieczysław Norwid-Neugebauer, Polish general and politician (b. 1884)
* October 19 – Hugh Duffy, American baseball player (Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1866)
* October 22 – Jibanananda Das, Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist in Bengali language, Bengali (b. 1899)
* October 30 – Wilbur Shaw, American racing driver (b. 1902)
November
* November 3 – Henri Matisse, French painter (b. 1869)
* November 10 – Édouard Le Roy, French philosopher and mathematician (b. 1870)
* November 13 – Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal (b. 1881)
* November 15 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor (b. 1878)
* November 16 – Albert Francis Blakeslee, American botanist (b. 1874)
* November 17
** Ludovic Dauș, Romanian novelist and playwright (b. 1873)
** Yitzhak Lamdan, Russian-born Israeli poet and columnist (b. 1899)
* November 20 – Clyde Cessna, American aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer, founder of the Cessna, Cessna Aircraft Corporation (b. 1879)
* November 21 – Jess McMahon, American professional boxing and wrestling promoter; founder of WWE#Capitol Wrestling Corporation (1952-1963), Capitol Wrestling Corporation (b. 1882)
* November 22
** Moroni Olsen, American actor (b. 1889)
** Andrey Vyshinsky, Russian jurist and diplomat, former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union), Soviet Foreign Minister (b. 1883)
* November 28 – Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
* November 29 – Dink Johnson, American musician (b. 1892)
* November 30 – Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor (b. 1886)
December
* December 1 – Fred Rose (songwriter), Fred Rose, American songwriter (b. 1898)
* December 8
** Claude Cahun, French photographer and writer (b. 1894)
** Gladys George, American actress (b. 1904)
* December 20 – James Hilton (novelist), James Hilton, English novelist (b. 1900)
* December 23 – René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
* December 25
** Ioan Arbore, Romanian general (b. 1892)
** Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist (b. 1858)
* December 30
** Archduke Eugen of Austria, Austrian field marshal (b. 1863)
** Günther Quandt, German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana (b. 1881)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Max Born, Walther Bothe
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Linus Pauling
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – John Franklin Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller, Frederick Chapman Robbins
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Ernest Hemingway
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1954
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