On This Day
This Day in History: (18-May)
Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (d. 1131)
Konstantin of Rostov (d. 1218)
Piero Soderini, Italian politician and diplomat (d. 1513)
Guido Luca Ferrero, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)
Stefano della Bella, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1664)
Stanislaus Papczyński, Polish priest (d. 1701)
George Smalridge, English bishop (d. 1719)
Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, and apologist (d. 1752)
Roger Joseph Boscovich, Ragusan physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1787)
John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (d. 1852)
Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Austria (d. 1854)
John Wilson, Scottish author and critic (d. 1854)
Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (d. 1896)
Charles N. Sims, American Methodist preacher and 3rd chancellor of Syracuse University (d. 1908)
Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1925)
James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California (d. 1908)
Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (d. 1934)
Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (d. 1924)
Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (d. 1931)
Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1948)
Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist (d. 1941)
Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)
Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower (d. 1922)
Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress (d. 1937)
Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1931)
Johannes Terwogt, Dutch rower (d. 1977)
Babe Adams, American baseball player, manager, and journalist (d. 1968)
Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal and politician, 16th President of Brazil (d. 1974)
Walter Gropius, German-American architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building (d. 1969)
Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1946)
Thomas Midgley, Jr., American chemist and engineer (d. 1944)
Rudolf Carnap, German-American philosopher and academic (d. 1970)
Ezio Pinza, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1957)
Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (d. 1934)
Eric Backman, Swedish runner (d. 1965)
Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (d. 1973)
Henri Sauguet, French composer (d. 1989)
Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
Meredith Willson, American playwright and composer (d. 1984)
Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator (d. 1971)
Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York Attorney General (d. 1986)
Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1943)
Irene Hunt, American author and educator (d. 2001)
Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player and academic (d. 1995)
Ester Boserup, Danish economist and author (d. 1999)
Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
Perry Como, American singer and television host (d. 2001)
Walter Sisulu, South African politician (d. 2003)
Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (d. 2000)
Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (d. 1982)
Boris Christoff, Bulgarian-Italian opera singer (d. 1993)
Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
Margot Fonteyn, British ballerina (d. 1991)
Pope John Paul II, (d. 2005)
Michael A. Epstein, English pathologist and academic
Bill Macy, American actor
Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (d. 1983)
Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2013)
Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
Priscilla Pointer, American actress
Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster
Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
Richard Body, English politician
Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)
Jack Sanford, American baseball player and coach (d. 2000)
Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 2012)
Warren Rudman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
Robert Morse, American actor
Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (d. 1995)
Clément Vincent, Canadian farmer and politician
Bernadette Chirac, French politician, First Lady of France
H. D. Deve Gowda, Indian farmer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of India
Don Whillans, English rock climber and mountaineer (d. 1985)
Dwayne Hickman, American actor and director
Leon Ashley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
Türker İnanoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
Michael Sandle, English sculptor and academic
Brooks Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster
Jacques Santer, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
Janet Fish, American painter and academic
Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, English historian, journalist, and politician
Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
Gordon O'Connor, Canadian general and politician, 38th Canadian Minister of Defence
Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
Gino Brito, Canadian wrestler and promoter
Malcolm Longair, Scottish astronomer, physicist, and academic
Miriam Margolyes, English-Australian actress and singer
Nobby Stiles, English footballer, coach, and manager
Albert Hammond, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2001)
Bruce Alexander, English actor
Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 40th Premier of the Republic of China
Reggie Jackson, American baseball player and sportscaster
Gerd Langguth, German political scientist and author (d. 2013)
John Bruton, Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
Gail Strickland, American actress
Joe Bonsall, American country/gospel singer
Yi Mun-yol, South Korean author and academic
Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist and academic
Tom Udall, American lawyer and politician, 28th New Mexico Attorney General, United States Senator from New Mexico
Rod Milburn, American hurdler and coach (d. 1997)
Mark Mothersbaugh, American singer-songwriter and painter
Jim Sundberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
Angela Voigt, German long jumper (d. 2013)
Diane Duane, American author and screenwriter
David Leakey, English general and politician
George Strait, American singer, guitarist and producer
Jeana Yeager, American pilot
Alan Kupperberg, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
Wreckless Eric, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor and screenwriter
Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
John Godber, English playwright and screenwriter
Michael Cretu, Romanian-German keyboard player and producer
Henrietta Moore, English anthropologist and academic
Rubén Omar Romano, Argentinian-Mexican footballer and coach
Toyah Willcox, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Graham Dilley, English cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Brent Ashton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player, coach, and manager
Yannick Noah, French tennis player
Russell Senior, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Marty McSorley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Sam Vincent, American basketball player and coach
Ignasi Guardans, Spanish academic and politician
Renata Nielsen, Polish-Danish long jumper and coach
Michael Tait, American singer-songwriter and producer
Nina Björk, Swedish journalist and author
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German race car driver
Nancy Juvonen, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Flower Films
Mimi Macpherson, Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity
Philippe Benetton, French rugby player
Ralf Kelleners, German race car driver
Martika, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Tina Fey, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
Tim Horan, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
Billy Howerdel, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Brad Friedel, American soccer player and sportscaster
Mark Menzies, Scottish politician
Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese race car driver
Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Donyell Marshall, American basketball player and coach
Aleksandr Olerski, Estonian footballer (d. 2011)
Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and sportscaster
Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Ron Mercer, American basketball player
Marko Tomasović, Croatian pianist and composer
Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
Lee Hendrie, English footballer
Danny Mills, English footballer and sportscaster
Li Tie, Chinese footballer and manager
Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
Marcus Giles, American baseball player
Charles Kamathi, Kenyan runner
Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft
Anna Chatziathanassiou, Greek figure skater
Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer
Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer
Reggie Evans, American basketball player
Michaël Llodra, French tennis player
Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer
Mahamadou Diarra, Malian footballer
Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player
Jason Brown, English footballer
Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player
Gary O'Neil, English footballer
Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
Vince Young, American football player
Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter
Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver
Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player
Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
Ahmed Hamada, Egyptian race car driver
Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player
Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer
Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer
Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player
Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player
Jessica Watson, Australian sailor
Polina Edmunds, American figure skater
Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter