AD 181 Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 234)

AD 747 Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)

1473 John Corvinus, Hungarian noble (d. 1504)

1545 Elisabeth of Valois (d. 1568)

1565 Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)

1586 Pietro Della Valle, Italian traveler (d. 1652)

1602 Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Franciscan abbess (d. 1665)

1618 Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)

1647 Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist and illustrator (d. 1717)

1653 Prince George of Denmark (d. 1708)

1696 Francesca Cuzzoni, Italian operatic soprano (d. 1778)

1719 Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)

1725 Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)

1755 Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (d. 1826)

1788 Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet and author (d. 1862)

1788 Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)

1789 Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (d. 1871)

1792 Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (d. 1840)

1798 August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and academic (d. 1874)

1805 Hans Christian Andersen, Danish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1875)

1814 Henry L. Benning, American general and judge (d. 1875)

1814 Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)

1827 William Holman Hunt, English soldier and painter (d. 1910)

1835 Jacob Nash Victor, American engineer (d. 1907)

1838 Léon Gambetta, French lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (d. 1882)

1840 Émile Zola, French novelist, playwright, journalist (d. 1902)

1841 Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)

1842 Dominic Savio, Italian Catholic saint, adolescent student of Saint John Bosco (d. 1857)

1861 Iván Persa, Slovenian priest and author (d. 1935)

1862 Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (d. 1947)

1869 Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)

1870 Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Irish-Australian politician, 29th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1945)

1875 Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)

1875 William Donne (cricketer), English cricketer and captain (d. 1942)

1884 J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958)

1888 Neville Cardus, English cricket and music writer (d. 1975)

1891 Jack Buchanan, Scottish entertainer (d. 1957)

1891 Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)

1891 Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa (d. 1958)

1896 Johnny Golden, American golfer (d. 1936)

1898 Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (d. 1990)

1898 Chiungtze C. Tsen, Chinese mathematician (d. 1940)

1900 Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1942)

1900 Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)

1900 Alfred Strange, English footballer (d. 1978)

1902 Jan Tschichold, German-Swiss graphic designer and typographer (d. 1974)

1902 Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Chabad Rebbe (d. 1994)

1903 Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Minister of Justice (Canada) (d. 1987)

1906 Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (d. 1970)

1907 Harald Andersson, American-Swedish discus thrower (d. 1985)

1907 Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)

1908 Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)

1910 Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1980)

1910 Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritual medium (d. 2002)

1914 Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)

1919 Delfo Cabrera, Argentinian runner and soldier (d. 1981)

1920 Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (d. 2004)

1920 Jack Stokes (director), English animator and director (d. 2013)

1920 Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)

1922 John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (d. 2015)

1923 Gloria Henry, actress (d. 2021)

1923 Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2015)

1923 G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author (d. 2016)

1924 Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (d. 2004)

1925 George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish author and screenwriter (d. 2008)

1925 Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (d. 1987)

1926 Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (d. 2014)

1926 Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (d. 2006)

1927 Carmen Basilio, American boxer and soldier (d. 2012)

1927 Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (d. 2014)

1927 Rita Gam, American actress (d. 2016)

1927 Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)

1927 Kenneth Tynan, English author and critic (d. 1980)

1928 Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)

1928 Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (d. 1991)

1928 Roy Masters (commentator), English-American radio host (d. 2021)

1928 David Robinson (horticulturist), Northern Irish horticulturist and academic (d. 2004)

1929 Ed Dorn, American poet and educator (d. 1999)

1930 Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor

1931 Keith Hitchins, American historian (d. 2020)

1931 Vladimir Kuznetsov (athlete), Russian javelin thrower (d. 1986)

1932 Edward Egan, American cardinal (d. 2015)

1933 György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author (d. 2019)

1934 Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2007)

1934 Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (d. 1997)

1934 Carl Kasell, American journalist and game show host (d. 2018)

1934 Richard Portman, American sound engineer (d. 2017)

1934 Dovid Shmidel, Austrian-born Israeli rabbi

1936 Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker and engineer

1937 Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)

1938 John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army (d. 2022)

1938 Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)

1938 Al Weis, American baseball player

1939 Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)

1939 Anthony Lake, American academic and diplomat, 18th United States National Security Advisor

1939 Lise Thibault, Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec

1940 Donald Jackson (figure skater), Canadian figure skater and coach

1940 Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981)

1940 Penelope Keith, English actress

1941 Dr. Demento, American radio host

1941 Sonny Throckmorton, American country singer-songwriter

1942 Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2016)

1942 Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor

1943 Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, South African-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 2022)

1943 Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)

1943 Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (d. 2017)

1943 Antonio Sabàto, Sr., Italian actor (d. 2021)

1944 Bill Malinchak, American football player

1945 Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter

1945 Guy Fréquelin, French race car driver

1945 Linda Hunt, American actress

1945 Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach

1945 Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2021)

1945 Anne Waldman, American poet

1946 Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricketer

1946 David Heyes, English politician

1946 Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (d. 2014)

1946 Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (d. 1997)

1947 Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, songwriter and actress (d. 2025)

1947 Tua Forsström, Finnish writer

1947 Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1947 Camille Paglia, American author and critic

1948 Roald Als, Danish author and illustrator

1948 Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (d. 2012)

1948 Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author

1948 Joan D. Vinge, American author

1949 Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host

1949 Bernd Müller (footballer, born 1949), German footballer

1949 Pamela Reed, American actress

1949 David Robinson (drummer), American drummer

1950 Lynn Westmoreland, American politician

1951 Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer

1952 Lennart Fagerlund, Swedish cyclist

1952 Will Hoy, English race car driver (d. 2002)

1952 Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2001)

1953 Jim Allister, Northern Irish lawyer and politician

1953 Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 20th and 21st-century U.S. Navy aviator (d. 2019)

1953 Malika Oufkir, Moroccan Berber writer

1953 Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)

1953 James Vance (comics), American author and playwright (d. 2017)

1954 Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer

1954 Donald Petrie, American actor and director

1955 Michael Stone (loyalist), Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary

1957 Caroline Dean, English biologist and academic

1957 Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman (d. 2020)

1958 Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player

1958 Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach

1959 Gelindo Bordin, Italian runner

1959 David Frankel, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1959 Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver

1959 Yves Lavandier, French director and producer

1959 Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan footballer and manager

1960 Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter

1960 Brad Jones (racing driver), Australian race car driver

1960 Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist

1961 Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter

1961 Christopher Meloni, American actor

1961 Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter

1962 Pierre Carles, French director and producer

1962 Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1962 Clark Gregg, American actor

1963 Karl Beattie, English director and producer

1963 Mike Gascoyne, English engineer

1964 Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach

1964 Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler

1965 Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)

1966 Bill Romanowski, American football player and actor

1966 Teddy Sheringham, English international footballer and coach

1967 Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1967 Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter

1969 Ajay Devgn, Indian actor, director, and producer

1971 Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, Brazilian footballer

1971 Jason Lewry, English cricketer

1971 Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player and sportscaster

1972 Eyal Berkovic, Israeli footballer

1972 Remo D'Souza, Indian choreographer and dancer

1972 Calvin Davis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 2023)

1972 Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1973 Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer

1973 Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress

1973 Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer

1974 Tayfun Korkut, Turkish football manager and former player

1975 Nate Huffman, American basketball player (d. 2015)

1975 Randy Livingston, American basketball player

1975 Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower

1975 Pattie Mallette, Canadian author and film producer

1975 Pedro Pascal, Chilean and American actor

1976 Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter

1976 Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer

1977 Per Elofsson, Swedish skier

1977 Michael Fassbender, German-Irish actor and producer

1977 Hanno Pevkur, Estonian lawyer and politician, Ministry of Justice (Estonia)

1980 Avi Benedi, Israeli singer and songwriter

1980 Adam Fleming (journalist), Scottish journalist

1980 Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter

1980 Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (d. 2004)

1980 Wairangi Koopu, New Zealand rugby league player

1980 Carlos Salcido, Mexican international footballer

1981 Michael Clarke (cricketer), Australian cricketer

1981 Kapil Sharma (comedian), Indian stand-up comedian, television presenter and actor

1982 Marco Amelia, Italian footballer

1982 David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player

1983 Arthur Boka, Ivorian footballer

1983 Maksym Mazuryk, Ukrainian pole vaulter

1984 Engin Atsür, Turkish basketball player

1984 Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver

1984 Jérémy Morel, French footballer

1984 Miguel Ángel Moyá, Spanish footballer

1985 Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player

1985 Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater

1986 Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer

1986 Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player

1987 Pablo César Aguilar, Paraguayan footballer

1987 Shane Lowry, Irish Professional Golfer, winner of the 2019 Open Championship and European Team Member for the 2021 Ryder Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup Ryder Cups

1988 Jesse Plemons, American actor

1990 Yevgeniya Kanayeva, Russian gymnast

1990 Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer

1990 Amr El Solia, Egyptian footballer

1991 Quavo, American rapper

1993 Keshorn Walcott, Trinidadian javelin thrower

1993 Bruno Zuculini, Argentine footballer

1994 Pascal Siakam, Cameroonian basketball player

1995 Zack Steffen, American soccer player

1996 Zach Bryan, American singer-songwriter

1996 André Onana, Cameroonian footballer

1997 Dillon Bassett, American race car driver

1997 Abdelhak Nouri, Dutch footballer

1997 Austin Riley, American baseball player

2000 Rodrigo Riquelme (footballer, born 2000), Spanish footballer

2002 Emma Myers, American actress

2004 Diana Shnaider, Russian tennis player

2007 Brenda Fruhvirtová, Czech tennis player

670 Hasan ibn Ali the second Shia Imam (b. 624)

870 Æbbe the Younger, Frankish abbess

872 Muflih al-Turki, Turkish general

968 Yuan Dezhao, Chinese chancellor (b. 891)

991 Bardas Skleros, Byzantine general

1118 Baldwin I of Jerusalem, king of Jerusalem

1244 Henrik Harpestræng, Danish botanical and medical author

1272 Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English husband of Sanchia of Provence (b. 1209)

1335 Henry of Bohemia (b. 1265)

1412 Ruy González de Clavijo, Spanish explorer and author

1416 Ferdinand I of Aragon, king of Aragon (b. 1379)

1502 Arthur, Prince of Wales, prince of Wales (b. 1486)

1507 Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded the Minim (religious order) (b. 1416)

1511 Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe, German nobleman (b. 1428)

1640 Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (b. 1595)

1657 Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)

1657 Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)

1672 Pedro Calungsod, Filipino missionary and saint (b. 1654)

1672 Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1627)

1720 Joseph Dudley, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1647)

1742 James Douglas (physician), Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)

1747 Johann Jacob Dillenius, German-English botanist and mycologist (b. 1684)

1754 Thomas Carte, English historian and author (b. 1686)

1787 Thomas Gage, English general and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1719)

1791 Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (b. 1749)

1801 Thomas Dadford, Jr., English engineer (b. 1761)

1803 Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish judge and politician (b. 1721)

1817 Johann Heinrich Jung, German author and academic (b. 1740)

1827 Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician and educator (b. 1776)

1845 Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1763)

1865 A. P. Hill, American general (b. 1825)

1872 Samuel Morse, American painter and academic, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)

1891 Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809)

1891 Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Greek playwright and politician, 249th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1823)

1894 Achille Vianelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1803)

1896 Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (b. 1852)

1914 Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and translator, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (b. 1830)

1917 Bryn Lewis, Welsh international rugby player (b. 1891)

1923 Topal Osman, Turkish colonel (b. 1883)

1928 Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1868)

1930 Zewditu I of Ethiopia (b. 1876)

1933 Ranjitsinhji, Indian cricketer (b. 1872)

1936 Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)

1942 Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (b. 1862)

1948 Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (b. 1907)

1953 Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)

1954 Hoyt Vandenberg, US Air Force general (b. 1899)

1966 C. S. Forester, English novelist (b. 1899)

1972 Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)

1972 Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist and educator (b. 1887)

1974 Georges Pompidou, French banker and politician, 19th President of France (b. 1911)

1977 Walter Wolf (politician), German academic and politician (b. 1907)

1987 Buddy Rich, American drummer, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1917)

1989 Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer (b. 1939)

1992 Juanito (footballer, born 1954), Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1954)

1992 Jan van Aartsen, Dutch politician (b. 1909)

1994 Betty Furness, American actress, consumer advocate, game show panelist, television journalist and television personality (b. 1916)

1994 Marc Fitch, British historian and philanthropist (b. 1908)

1995 Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (b. 1908)

1997 Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese director and producer (b. 1910)

1998 Rob Pilatus, American-German singer-songwriter (b. 1965)

2001 Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1920)

2002 Levi Celerio, Filipino composer and songwriter (b. 1910)

2002 John R. Pierce, American engineer and author (b. 1910)

2003 Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)

2004 John Argyris, Greek computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1913)

2005 Lillian O'Donnell, American crime novelist (b. 1926)

2005 Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)

2006 Lloyd Searwar, Guyanese anthologist and diplomat (b. 1925)

2007 Henry L. Giclas, American astronomer and academic (b. 1910)

2008 Yakup Satar, Turkish World War I veteran (b. 1898)

2009 Albert Sanschagrin, Canadian bishop (b. 1911)

2009 Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1926)

2010 Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (b. 1970)

2011 John C. Haas, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)

2012 Jesús Aguilarte, Venezuelan captain and politician (b. 1959)

2012 Elizabeth Catlett, American-Mexican sculptor and illustrator (b. 1915)

2012 Mauricio Lasansky, American graphic designer and academic (b. 1914)

2013 Fred (cartoonist), French author and illustrator (b. 1931)

2013 Jesús Franco, Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1930)

2013 Milo O'Shea, Irish-American actor (b. 1926)

2014 Urs Widmer, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1938)

2015 Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)

2015 Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (b. 1926)

2015 Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (b. 1954)

2016 Gallieno Ferri, Italian comic book artist and illustrator (b. 1929)

2016 Robert Abajyan, Armenian sergeant (b. 1996)

2017 Alma Delia Fuentes, Mexican actress (b. 1937)

2021 Simon Bainbridge, British composer (b. 1952)

2022 Estelle Harris, American actress and comedian (b. 1928)

2024 Jerry Abbott, American country music songwriter and record producer (b. 1942)

2024 John Barth, American writer (b. 1930)

2024 Maryse Condé, Guadeloupean novelist, critic, and playwright (b. 1934)

2024 Christopher Durang, American playwright (b. 1949)

2024 Larry Lucchino, American attorney and baseball executive (b. 1945)

2024 John Sinclair (poet), American poet (b. 1941)

2024 Juan Vicente Pérez, Venezuelan supercentenarian (b. 1909)

Christian feast day:

- Abundius

- Aphian

- Æbbe the Younger

- Brónach (Martyrology of Tallaght)

- Francis of Paola

- Francisco Coll Guitart

- Henry Budd (Calendar of saints (Anglican Church of Canada))

- Nicetius of Lyon

- Pedro Calungsod

- Theodosia of Tyre

- Urban of Langres

- April 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

International Children's Book Day (International observance)

Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)

Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)

World Autism Awareness Day (International)

Malvinas Day (Argentina)

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/2 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/april/2 Historical Events on April 2]