April 29

Events

1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and becomes its vassal.

1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.

1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.

1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops under Gustav Vasa defeat a Danish force under Didrik Slagheck in the Battle of Västerås and soon capture the city of Västerås. The Danish-held castle, however, does not surrender to the Swedes until 31 January the following year, after a nine-month siege.

1770 – James Cook arrives in Australia at Botany Bay, which he names.

1781 – American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.

1861 – American Civil War: Maryland's House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.

1862 – American Civil War: Capture of New Orleans New Orleans falls to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut.

1864 – Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the American Civil War.

1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide kills 70 people in Frank, North-West Territories, Canada.

1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People's Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.

1916 – World War I: The British 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.

1916 – Easter Rising: After six days of fighting, Irish rebel leaders surrender to British forces in Dublin, bringing the Easter Rising to an end.

1944 – World War II: British agent Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo's most wanted person, parachutes back into France to be a liaison between London and the local maquis group.

1945 – World War II: The German army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies.

1945 – World War II: Start of Operation Manna.

1945 – World War II: The Captain-class frigate HMS Goodall (K479) is torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet becoming the last Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the European theatre of World War II.

1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor; Hitler and Braun both commit suicide the following day.

1945 – Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.

1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.

1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.

1951 – Tibetan delegates to the Central People's Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.

1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.

1965 – Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.

1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.

1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with some of its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.

1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.

1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.

1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.

1975 – Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese Army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.

1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.

1986 – Chernobyl disaster: American and European spy satellites capture the ruins of the 4th Reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant

1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.

1991 – The 7.0 Mw Racha earthquake affects Georgia with a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive), killing 270 people.

1992 – Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.

1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.

2004 – Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.

2004 – Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production.

2011 – The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.

2013 – A powerful explosion occurs in an office building in Prague, believed to have been caused by natural gas, injures 43 people.

2015 – A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox sets the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.

Births

912 – Minamoto no Mitsunaka, Japanese samurai (d. 997)

1469 – William II, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1509)

1636 – Esaias Reusner, German lute player and composer (d. 1679)

1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1745)

1667 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish-English physician and polymath (d. 1735)

1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1742)

1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French actor and dancer (d. 1810)

1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)

1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (d. 1820)

1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French general and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1833)

1780 – Charles Nodier, French librarian and author (d. 1844)

1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American publisher and politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)

1810 – Thomas Adolphus Trollope, English journalist and author (d. 1892)

1814 – Sadok Barącz, Galician religious leader, historian, folklorist, archivist (d. 1892)

1818 – Alexander II of Russia (d. 1881)

1837 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1891)

1842 – Carl Millöcker, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1899)

1847 – Joachim Andersen, Danish flautist, composer, conductor, and co-founder of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (d. 1907)

1848 – Raja Ravi Varma, Indian painter and academic (d. 1906)

1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1912)

1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Egyptian-Greek journalist and poet (d. 1933)

1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher and politician, founded the Hearst Corporation (d. 1951)

1863 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Austrian nun and missionary (d. 1922)

1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and lawyer (d. 1930)

1872 – Forest Ray Moulton, American astronomer and academic (d. 1952)

1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-English novelist and short story writer (d. 1950)

1876 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (d. 1930)

1880 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish military officer, diplomat and politician (d. 1943)

1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (d. 1945)

1891 – Bharathidasan, Indian poet and activist (d. 1964)

1894 – Marietta Blau, Austrian physicist and academic (d. 1970)

1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)

1887 – Raymond Thorne, American swimmer (d. 1921)

1893 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)

1895 – Vladimir Propp, Russian scholar and critic (d. 1970)

1895 – Malcolm Sargent, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1967)

1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1987)

1899 – Duke Ellington, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1974)

1899 – Mary Petty, American illustrator (d. 1976)

1901 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (d. 1989)

1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (d. 1997)

1908 – Jack Williamson, American author and academic (d. 2006)

1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)

1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)

1915 – Henry H. Barschall, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1997)

1917 – Maya Deren, Ukrainian-American director, poet, and photographer (d. 1961)

1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (d. 2012)

1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian and author (d. 2011)

1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)

1919 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)

1920 – Edward Blishen, English author and radio host (d. 1996)

1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer (d. 2013)

1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcycle racer and journalist (d. 2001)

1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian guitarist and harmonica player

1923 – Irvin Kershner, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)

1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)

1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballerina and actress

1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (d. 2007)

1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (d. 2007)

1926 – Elmer Kelton, American journalist and author (d. 2009)

1927 – Dorothy Manley, English sprinter

1927 – Bill Slater, English footballer

1928 – Heinz Wolff, German-English physiologist, engineer, and academic

1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author and academic (d. 2007)

1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)

1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2014)

1929 – Maurice Strong, Canadian businessman and diplomat (d. 2015)

1929 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (d. 2014)

1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor and director

1931 – Frank Auerbach, German-English painter and academic

1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)

1931 – Chris Pearson, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (d. 2014)

1932 – Joy Clements, American soprano and actress (d. 2005)

1932 – David Tindle, English painter and educator

1933 – Ed Charles, American baseball player and coach

1933 – Mark Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 61st Prime Minister of Belgium

1933 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2015)

1933 – Willie Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor

1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan-American baseball player

1934 – Peter de la Billière, English general

1934 – Erika Fisch, German sprinter and hurdler

1934 – Pedro Pires, Cape Verdean politician, 3rd President of Cape Verde

1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian bassist and conductor

1936 – Adolfo Nicolás, Spanish priest, 13th Superior General of the Society of Jesus

1936 – Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, English banker and philanthropist

1937 – Arvo Mets, Estonian-Russian poet and translator (d. 1997)

1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English author

1938 – Bernard Madoff, American businessman and financier

1938 – Klaus Voormann, German artist, bass player, and producer

1940 – Stephanos of Tallinn, Estonian metropolitan

1940 – Brian Taber, Australian cricketer

1941 – Jonah Barrington, English-Irish squash player

1941 – Hanne Darboven, German painter (d. 2009)

1942 – Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, English politician, Minister of State for Europe

1942 – Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie, English civil servant and academic

1942 – Galina Kulakova, Russian skier

1943 – İlker Başbuğ, Turkish general

1943 – Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, English union leader and politician

1943 – Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech, English lawyer and academic

1944 – Princess Benedikte of Denmark

1944 – Richard Kline, American actor and director

1944 – Francis Lee, English footballer and businessman

1945 – Brian Charlesworth, English biologist, geneticist, and academic

1945 – Catherine Lara, French singer-songwriter and violinist

1946 – Aleksander Wolszczan, Polish astronomer

1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player

1947 – Tommy James, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1947 – Joey Levine, American singer-songwriter and producer

1947 – Johnny Miller, American golfer and sportscaster

1947 – Jim Ryun, American runner and politician

1948 – Bruce Cutler, American lawyer

1948 – Michael Karoli, German guitarist and songwriter (d. 2001)

1950 – Paul Holmes, New Zealand journalist (d. 2013)

1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian director and producer

1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American social worker and politician

1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)

1951 – John Holmes, English diplomat, British Ambassador to France

1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress and comedian

1952 – David Icke, English footballer and sportscaster

1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player and coach

1952 – Rob Nicholson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

1952 – Brian D. Ripley, English statistician and academic

1952 – Ron Washington, American baseball player and manager

1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder and businessman, founded Burton Snowboards

1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian, actor, and producer

1955 – Don McKinnon, Australian rugby league player

1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress

1956 – Karen Barad, American physicist and philosopher

1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor

1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist and songwriter

1957 – Sofia Sakorafa, Greek javelin thrower and politician

1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American ecologist and environmentalist (d. 2003)

1958 – Ramachandra Guha, Indian historian and author

1958 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (d. 2013)

1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress

1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster

1958 – Martin Whitmarsh, English businessman

1960 – Bill Glasson, American golfer

1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian author and academic

1962 – Bruce Driver, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1962 – Rob Druppers, Dutch runner

1962 – Stephan Burger, German Catholic archbishop

1963 – Mike Babcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager

1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1964 – Radek Jaroš, Czech mountaineer and author

1965 – Michel Bussi, French geographer, author, and academic

1965 – Peter Rauhofer, Austrian-American disc jockey and producer (d. 2013)

1965 – Larisa Turchinskaya, Russian-Australian heptathlete and coach

1965 – Brendon Tuuta, New Zealand rugby league player

1966 – Marie Plourde, Canadian journalist

1966 – Christian Tetzlaff, German violinist

1967 – Marcel Albers, Dutch race car driver (d. 1992)

1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1967 – Master P, American rapper, producer, and actor

1968 – Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, 4th President of Croatia (2015-)

1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer-songwriter

1969 – Jack Mackenroth, American swimmer, model, and fashion designer

1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player

1970 – China Forbes, American singer-songwriter

1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress

1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American lawyer and politician, 55th Arkansas Attorney General

1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist and educator

1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player

1975 – Artem Yashkin, Ukrainian footballer

1976 – Anggun, Indonesian-French singer-songwriter

1976 – Chiyotaikai Ryūji, Japanese sumo wrestler

1977 – Zuzana Hejdová, Czech tennis player

1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish footballer and sportscaster

1977 – Titus O'Neil, American football player and wrestler

1977 – Attila Zsivoczky, Hungarian decathlete and high jumper

1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player

1978 – Bob Bryan, American tennis player

1978 – Mike Bryan, American tennis player

1978 – Javier Colon, American singer-songwriter and musician

1978 – Craig Gower, Australian rugby player

1978 – Tyler Labine, Canadian actor and comedian

1979 – Nihan Anaz, Turkish basketball player

1979 – Lee Dong-gook, South Korean footballer

1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish race car driver and manager

1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player

1980 – Kian Egan, Irish singer-songwriter

1980 – Luciano Milo, Italian ice dancer

1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player

1981 – Lisa Allen, English chef

1981 – George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer

1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian runner (d. 2006)

1981 – Tom Smith, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player

1982 – Mersad Selimbegović, Bosnian footballer

1982 – Travis Smith, American drummer

1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player

1983 – Tommie Harris, American football player

1983 – David Lee, American basketball player

1983 – Valérie Létourneau, Canadian mixed martial artist

1984 – Kirby Cote, Canadian swimmer

1984 – Paulius Jankūnas, Lithuanian basketball player

1984 – Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Russian tennis player

1984 – Vassilis Xanthopoulos, Greek basketball player

1985 – Jean-François Jacques, Canadian ice hockey player

1986 – Viljar Veski, Estonian basketball player

1986 – Sisa Waqa, Fijian rugby league player

1987 – Knut Børsheim, Norwegian golfer

1987 – Sara Errani, Italian tennis player

1988 – Elías Hernández, Mexican footballer

1988 – Jovan Leacock, American footballer

1988 – Taoufik Makhloufi, Algerian runner

1988 – Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player

1988 – Julian Reus, German sprinter

1988 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian ice hockey player

1991 – Adam Smith, English footballer

1991 – Cole Vosbury, American singer-songwriter

1991 – Misaki Doi, Japanese tennis player

1992 – Emilio Orozco, American soccer player

1994 – Christina Shakovets, German tennis player

1995 – Victoria Sinitsina, Russian ice dancer

1998 – Kimberly Birrell, Australian tennis player

Deaths

643 – Hou Junji, Chinese general and politician, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty

926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia (b. 883)

1326 – Blanche of Burgundy, queen consort of France (b. c. 1296)

1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian mystic, philosopher, and saint (b. 1347)

1417 – Louis II of Naples (b. 1377)

1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and theologian (b. 1517)

1630 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French soldier and poet (b. 1552)

1658 – John Cleveland, English poet and author (b. 1613)

1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)

1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)

1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (b. 1655)

1707 – George Farquhar, Irish-English actor and playwright (b. 1678)

1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French theorist and author (b. 1658)

1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (b. 1694)

1771 – Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, French-Italian architect, designed Winter Palace and Catherine Palace (b. 1700)

1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English explorer and author (b. 1713)

1793 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1713)

1793 – John Michell, English geologist and astronomer (b. 1724)

1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist and author (b. 1723)

1833 – William Babington, Irish-born, English physician and mineralogist (b. 1756)

1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1768)

1903 – Paul Du Chaillu, French-American anthropologist and zoologist (b. 1835)

1905 – Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban pianist and composer (b. 1847)

1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1850)

1920 – William H. Seward, Jr., American general and banker (b. 1839)

1921 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (b. 1863)

1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet and journalist (b. 1863)

1935 – Leroy Carr, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1905)

1937 – William Gillette, American actor and playwright (b. 1853)

1944 – Bernardino Machado, Portuguese academic and politician, 3rd President of Portugal (b. 1851)

1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)

1947 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (b. 1867)

1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (b. 1889)

1954 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (b. 1872)

1956 – Harold Bride, English soldier and operator (b. 1890)

1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)

1959 – Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, India-born English soldier and Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1891)

1961 – Cisco Houston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)

1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and engineer (b. 1875)

1966 – Paula Strasberg, American actress and acting coach (b. 1909)

1967 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)

1976 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (b. 1883)

1978 – Theo Helfrich, German racing driver (b. 1913)

1979 – Muhsin Ertuğrul, Turkish actor and director (b. 1892)

1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)

1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (b. 1899)

1982 – Raymond Bussières, French actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)

1992 – Mae Clarke, American actress (b. 1910)

1993 – Michael Gordon, American actor and director (b. 1909)

1993 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1946)

1997 – Mike Royko, American journalist and author (b. 1932)

1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)

2000 – Phạm Văn Đồng, Vietnamese lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)

2001 – Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr., American physicist and academic (b. 1936)

2002 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1936)

2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)

2005 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)

2005 – Louis Leithold, American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)

2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to India (b. 1908)

2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1912)

2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)

2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer and rugby player (b. 1940)

2007 – Ivica Račan, Croatian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)

2007 – Selvarajah Rajivarnam, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1982)

2008 – Chuck Daigh, American racing driver (b. 1923)

2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1906)

2010 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (b. 1921)

2011 – Siamak Pourzand, Iranian journalist and critic (b. 1931)

2012 – Éric Charden, Vietnamese-French singer-songwriter (b. 1942)

2012 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1942)

2012 – Joel Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1957)

2012 – Roland Moreno. French engineer, invented the smart card (b. 1945)

2012 – Kenny Roberts, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)

2013 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (b. 1992)

2013 – Pesah Grupper, Israeli politician, 13th Israel Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)

2013 – Parekura Horomia, New Zealand politician, 40th Minister of Māori Affairs (b. 1950)

2013 – John La Montaine, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)

2013 – Ernest Michael, American mathematician and scholar (b. 1925)

2013 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (b. 1958)

2013 – Marianna Zachariadi, Greek pole vaulter (b. 1990)

2014 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (b. 1966)

2014 – Al Feldstein, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)

2014 – Bob Hoskins, English actor (b. 1942)

2014 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1940)

2015 – François Michelin, French businessman (b. 1926)

2015 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (b. 1923)

2015 – Calvin Peete, American golfer (b. 1943)

2015 – Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (b. 1922)

2016 – Renato Corona, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Catherine of Siena (Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Church)

Endelienta

Hugh of Cluny

Robert of Molesme

Torpes of Pisa

April 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (United Nations)

International Dance Day (UNESCO)

Princess Bedike's Birthday (Denmark)

Shōwa Day, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period, which is April 29 and May 3–5. (Japan)