The 25 best Caribbean islands, ranked

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The Caribbean islands are beloved for their adventurous activities, clear waters, and stunning natural sites. 

Though each island has its own unique appeal, some have advantages over the others.

We've ranked the best islands in the Caribbean, based on the costs of hotel bookings, their accessibility, and the range of activities they offer. 

To rank the islands, we factored in each one's average hotel-room costs using data from Hotels.com, the flight time from New York City, the number of attractions listed on TripAdvisor, and the amount of coastline offered per square kilometer. 

25. Anguilla

Flickr/rapidtravelchai

Distance from NYC: 5 hours and 7 minutes

Average hotel room cost: $468 per night 

In Anguilla, you'll find miles of white sand and pristine waters — hence its high beach-density score of 0.67. With romantic beaches like Rendezvous Bay, this is a destination where you can swim and sunbathe year-round. Its list of activities ranges from swimming with dolphins to sailing on glass-bottom boats. 

24. Dominica

Shutterstock

Distance from NYC: 5 hours and 55 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $161 per night 

Visitors to Dominica can do everything from relaxing in hot sulfur springs to swimming in the water off black-sand beaches. The island's volcanic terrain has created unique sites like the Champagne Reef, where geothermal bubbles make you feel like you're swimming in a giant bottle of champagne. Plus, there are nearly 40 incredible diving sites to choose from, despite its relatively low beach-density score of 0.2.

23. St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Shutterstock/rj lerich

Distance from NYC: 6 hours

Average hotel room cost: $139 per night 

Located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea, the island chain of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is made up of 32 islands and cays. The relatively deserted islands offer travelers a combination of rainforest adventures, water sports, luxury accommodations, and miles of powder-white sand beaches. Of the 104 activities available to travelers, 60 of them are either stunning natural sites or parks. The island chain has a low beach-density score of 0.22. 

22. St. Lucia

Shutterstock/Jackie Smithson

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 50 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $343 per night 

In St. Lucia, you can experience modern sites and luxury resorts, or delve into old plantations and hidden beaches. Its sulfur springs are ideal for DIY spa treatments, while intimate beaches like Anse Mamin give you the chance to experience your own private paradise. The island has 168 different activities and a moderate beach-density score of 0.26.

21. British Virgin Islands

Shutterstock/BlueOrange Studio

Distance from NYC: 5 hours and 45 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $246 per night 

The British Virgin Islands offer 124 different activities to travelers, with about 60 different islands to choose from. Check out the ruins and rum distilleries in Tortola, venture into underwater coves in Virgin Gorda, or enjoy a drink at a swim-up bar in Jost Van Dyke. You’ll also find some of the world's best sailing spots in the British Virgin Islands, which have a high beach-density score of 0.53. 

20. Turks and Caicos

Shutterstock/Ramunas Bruzas

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 30 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $488 per night 

Turks and Caicos has world-class hotels and stretches of uncrowded beaches. Providenciales is a popular travel destination for upscale vacationers, thanks to places like Grace Bay, which was dubbed the best beach in the world by TripAdvisor users in 2016. Turks and Caicos is home to 139 outdoor activities alone, and it boasts a moderate beach-density score of 0.41. 

19. Saint Barthélemy

Shutterstock/Stacy Funderburke

Distance from NYC:  5 hours and 10 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $493 per night 

Saint-Barthélemy (also known as St. Barts or St. Barths) has a variety of designer boutiques, fine-dining restaurants, and breathtaking scenery, like stunning mountains, green hills, and glistening bays. Most of its beaches remain crowd-free, making them the perfect place to unwind after exploring all of the 35 activities on the island. The island also has an incredibly high beach-density score of 1.52. 

18. Trinidad and Tobago

Flickr/neiljs

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 55 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $181 per night 

The two islands that make up Trinidad and Tobago offer travelers top-notch bird-watching, diving, and rainforest-hiking opportunities. Trinidad is home to lush hills and a bustling nightlife, while Tobago has palm-lined beaches and a serene setting. In total, the islands boast 182 different cultural, natural, and recreational activities for travelers, despite their low beach-density score of 0.07.

17. Antigua and Barbuda

Flickr/Andrew Moore

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 20 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $284 per night 

In Antigua, you'll come across narrow roads and colorful villages filled with historic sites. Barbuda also has its charm, with reef-filled waters and a large bird population. There are 130 different activities to choose from and such a wide variety of beaches that you could visit a different one each day of the year and still not repeat yourself.

16. Aruba

Shutterstock/byvalet

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 35 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $269 per night 

Despite a moderate beach-density score of 0.38, Aruba is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations, thanks to resorts that offer prime package deals and more than 150 different activities for visitors. The main town of Oranjestad is filled with pastel facades, landmarks, and shops, while the island's outskirts are where you'll find hidden beaches and beautiful vistas. 

15. Grenada

Shutterstock/Laszlo Halasi

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 45 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $199 per night

Once the world's most treasured source of exotic spices, Grenada aptly has earned the nickname of Spice Island. Today, it's home to lush and mountainous terrain where you can fish, sail, hike, or bike. It has a modest beach-density score of 0.35 and 114 different activities that include diving with sharks and turtles.

14. Barbados

Flickr/ben124

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 45 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $210 per night

Whether you're in search of prime beach resorts, exhilarating nightlife, or breathtaking natural sites, you'll find them in Barbados. Its capital, Bridgetown, is home to the Mount Gay Rum Distillery, which produces the world's oldest brand of rum. On the west side, you'll find calm waters ideal for swimming, while the east side boasts wild surf terrain. In total, there are 205 different activities for travelers, and it has a moderate beach-density score of 0.23. 

13. Haiti

Flickr/leecannon

Distance from NYC: 4 hours

Average hotel room cost: $130 per night 

In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, Haiti has undergone recovery efforts that have brought travelers back to the history-rich island. There are plenty of historic and picturesque attractions to see here, including the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien and the Marche de Fer flea market. It has a low beach density score of 0.06, indicating that it has relatively little beachfront compared to other Caribbean islands.

12. St. Kitts and Nevis

Shutterstock/Ivan Cholakov

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 10 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $244 per night 

The two-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis abounds with palm-fringed beaches, soaring mountains, and lush jungle terrain. There are 117 different activities here, which range from natural sites to historic attractions like sugar plantations. St. Kitts hosts a more bustling atmosphere filled with nightlife venues and resorts, while Nevis offers a calmer atmosphere. The sister islands have a high beach-density score of 0.52. 

11. Guadeloupe

Shutterstock/Oliver Hoffmann

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 20 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $166 per night

Guadeloupe is an archipelago of islands where travelers will find 189 different activities to pick from. Its two main islands include Grande-Terre, where beach towns offer white sands and a variety of water activities, and the mountainous Basse-Terre, where you can visit the breathtaking Guadeloupe National Park. It has a low beach-density score of 0.19. 

10. US Virgin Islands

Shutterstock/byvalet

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 55 minutes

Average hotel room cost: $259 per night

The main islands of the US Virgin Islands — St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas — are home to historic colonial buildings, prime sailing, bustling shopping and nightlife, and hidden coves to explore. Although they have a low beach-density score of 0.1, the islands have 291 different activities to choose from and ferries that make island-hopping easy.

9. Martinique

Flickr/Sébastien Avenet

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 25 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $140 per night 

Martinique is home to a striking variety of landscapes. Its capital, Fort-de-France, boasts a more urban feel, while its northern region has rain forests, mountains, and miles of beaches. It's a paradise for outdoor lovers, with around 179 outdoor activities to indulge in. It's also home to 45 historic landmarks, including the birthplace of Napoleon's empress Josephine. It has a moderate beach-density score of 0.31.

8. Cayman Islands

Flickr/katiethebeau

Distance from NYC:  4 hours and 5 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $293 per night 

There are 221 different activities to choose from on the three Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman is the largest and has a cosmopolitan feel to it, thanks to its array of gourmet restaurants, malls, and the beautiful Seven Mile Beach. Cayman Brac has some fantastic diving sights and plenty of serene trails. Little Cayman has uncrowded beaches and one of the world's best wall dives at Bloody Bay Wall. The islands have a high beach-density score of 0.61.

7. Jamaica

Flickr/Chris Ford

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 45 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $237 per night 

Despite a low beach-density score of 0.09, Jamaica is home to sandy beaches, bountiful banana groves, and 310 activities that range from hiking and bird-watching to snorkeling and shopping. Sample authentic Jamaican cuisine before heading to Rick's Cafe in Negril, an iconic drinking institution known for its epic sunsets and cliffside views. 

6. Curacao

Flickr/navin75

Distance from NYC: 4 hours and 45 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $158 per night 

A favorite destination for divers, Curacao is also home to beaches with calm waters and 141 activities to choose from. Of those 253 activities, 85 are water sports alone. If you're not a water enthusiast, try exploring the Hato Caves, an elaborate network of stalactites and stalagmites, or hiking the trails of the Christoffelpark. Curacao has a high beach-density score of 0.82.

5. The Bahamas

Flickr/BID Ciudades Emergentes

Distance from NYC: 2 hours and 55 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $333 per night 

With around 700 islands and incredible beachside properties, the Bahamas is paradise waiting to be explored. Last year it was dubbed the No. 1 Caribbean destination for wealthy travelers, with around 370 activities. It has a moderate beach-density score of 0.26.

4. St. Martin/Sint Maarten

Shutterstock/Sean Pavone

Distance from NYC: 4 hours

Average hotel room cost: $252 per night 

 St. Martin is split into two sides: the Dutch half of Sint Maarten, which is filled with bustling nightlife, shopping centers, and gleaming beaches; and the French half of St. Martin, which has a quieter ambience, with white-sand beaches and charming mountainside scenery. The island has a very high beach-density score of 1.09 and 123 different activities to enjoy.

3. Dominican Republic

Shutterstock/Daniel-Alvarez

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 40 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $182 per night 

The Dominican Republic is home to some of the Caribbean's most diverse landscapes of mountains, desert terrain, colonial buildings, and beaches. There are a whopping 510 activities to choose from here, despite its low beach-density score of 0.03. Indulge in prime seafood at its beachfront bars or witness four of the five highest peaks in the Caribbean that rise above Santiago.  

2. Puerto Rico

Shutterstock/ARENA Creative

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 35 minutes 

Average hotel room cost: $180 per night 

Puerto Rico takes the No. 2 spot thanks to its affordable hotel rates and a staggering 559 activities travelers can enjoy. Despite its low beach-density score of 0.04, it's home to tropical terrain that has helped it earn its "Island of Enchantment" name. 

1. Cuba

Shutterstock

Distance from NYC: 3 hours and 35 minutes

Average hotel room cost: $124 per night

Cuba's unique architecture, '50s-era Chevy taxicabs, and sandy beaches have been just out of reach for American tourists until recently. Years of US embargo have left the Caribbean island undeveloped compared to its more modern neighbors, so there aren't too many fancy hotels on the island yet. There are, however, a number of local paradores and Airbnb rentals available for travelers.

[edit]

• 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
• 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after.
• 900 – The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations.
• 1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
• 1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
• 1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
• 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
• 1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
• 1782 – The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
• 1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil's independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
• 1802 – Twelve thousand Wahhabis under Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, invaded city of Karbala, killed over three thousand inhabitants, and sacked the city.
• 1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
• 1809 – Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.
• 1821 – Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto: Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
• 1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
• 1863 – Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest".
• 1894 – Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date.
• 1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
• 1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.
• 1925 – The Manifesto of the Fascist Intellectuals is published in Il Mondo, establishing the political and ideological foundations of Italian Fascism.
• 1926 – Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi'a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis.
• 1934 – The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
• 1941 – Emmanouil Tsouderos becomes the 132nd Prime Minister of Greece.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
• 1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47, concerning the Kashmir conflict, is adopted.
• 1952 – Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated.
• 1960 – Brasília, Brazil's capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
• 1962 – The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.
• 1963 – The Universal House of Justice of the Bahá'í Faith is elected for the first time.
• 1964 – A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
• 1965 – The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season.
• 1966 – Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
• 1967 – Greek military junta of 1967–74: A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d'état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
• 1970 – The Hutt River Province secedes from Australia as the Principality of Hutt River.
• 1975 – Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
• 1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
• 1985 – The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
• 1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
• 1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
• 1992 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
• 1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
• 2002 – Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front edges out Lionel Jospin to enter the second round French presidential election; "21 April" is now an expression referring to the elimination of a mainstream candidate in the first round.
• 2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
• 2010 – The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
• 2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
• 2012 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 2043 establishes the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria.

Births[edit]

• 1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (d. 1523)
• 1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
• 1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
• 1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
• 1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
• 1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
• 1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
• 1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
• 1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
• 1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
• 1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
• 1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
• 1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
• 1775 – Alexander Anderson, Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
• 1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
• 1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
• 1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
• 1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
• 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, Cornish-English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
• 1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
• 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
• 1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
• 1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
• 1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
• 1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
• 1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
• 1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
• 1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
• 1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
• 1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (d. 1978)
• 1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
• 1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
• 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Jewish Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
• 1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
• 1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
• 1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
• 1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
• 1903 – Issy Bonn, Jewish-English actor, comedian, and singer (d. 1977)
• 1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
• 1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
• 1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
• 1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
• 1912 – Eve Arnold, Russian Jewish-American photojournalist (d. 2012)
• 1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
• 1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
• 1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
• 1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1919 – Don Cornell, American singer and trumpet player (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
• 1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
• 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
• 1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (d. 1965)
• 1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
• 1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire
• 1926 – Keith Davey, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom
• 1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, cricketer, and manager (d. 2002)
• 1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
• 1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
• 1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
• 1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
• 1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
• 1932 – Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer
• 1932 – Elaine May, Jewish-American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter
• 1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
• 1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
• 1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
• 1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
• 1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
• 1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
• 1937 – David Lucas, American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer
• 1937 – Gary Peters (baseball), American baseball player
• 1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player
• 1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
• 1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
• 1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
• 1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
• 1942 – Laine Kallas, Estonian runner and agronomist
• 1942 – Pierre Lorrain, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1943 – Alan Fersht, English chemist and academic
• 1943 – Jim Jamieson, American golfer
• 1944 – Paul Geremia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1944 – Adrian Hurley, Australian basketball player and coach
• 1945 – Ian Bruce, English author and academic
• 1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
• 1945 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (d. 2017)
• 1947 – Al Bumbry, American baseball player
• 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1947 – John Weider, English bass player
• 1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
• 1948 – Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist
• 1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2008)
• 1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
• 1948 – Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, English admiral and politician, Minister for Security
• 1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
• 1950 – Bruce Duperouzel, Australian footballer and cricketer
• 1950 – Kielo Tommila, Finnish actress
• 1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
• 1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
• 1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
• 1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
• 1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
• 1952 – Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
• 1953 – John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria
• 1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
• 1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
• 1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
• 1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
• 1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
• 1958 – Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer
• 1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
• 1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
• 1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
• 1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
• 1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
• 1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
• 1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
• 1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
• 1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
• 1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
• 1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
• 1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
• 1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
• 1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
• 1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
• 1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
• 1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
• 1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
• 1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
• 1965 – Oliver McCall, American boxer
• 1965 – Teri Sue Wood, American illustrator
• 1966 – Michael Franti, American rapper, musician, poet, spoken word artist, and singer-songwriter
• 1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
• 1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
• 1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
• 1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1970 – Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
• 1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
• 1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
• 1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
• 1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
• 1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
• 1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
• 1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
• 1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
• 1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
• 1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
• 1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
• 1977 – Doseone, American rapper and producer
• 1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
• 1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
• 1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
• 1978 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
• 1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
• 1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
• 1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
• 1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
• 1980 – Hiro Shimono, Japanese voice actor
• 1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
• 1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
• 1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
• 1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
• 1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
• 1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
• 1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player
• 1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
• 1984 – Michael Tinsley, American hurdler
• 1985 – Andy Jones, American high diver
• 1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
• 1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1986 – Tina Obrez, Slovenian tennis player
• 1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
• 1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
• 1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
• 1987 – Lenira Santos, Cape Verdean sprinter
• 1987 – Ryan Adams, American baseball player
• 1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
• 1989 – Jayson Bukuya, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
• 1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
• 1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
• 1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss footballer
• 1992 – George Burgess, English rugby league player
• 1992 – Tom Burgess, English rugby league player
• 1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
• 1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer
• 1997 – Mikel Oyarzabal, Spanish footballer

Deaths[edit]

• 234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
• 586 – Liuvigild, king of the Visigoths
• 847 – Odgar, Frankish monk and archbishop
• 866 – Bardas, Byzantine general
• 941 – Bajkam, Turkish commander
• 1073 – Pope Alexander II
• 1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
• 1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
• 1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
• 1213 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
• 1329 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
• 1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
• 1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
• 1574 – Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
• 1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
• 1701 – Asano Naganori, Japanese daimyo (b. 1667)
• 1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
• 1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
• 1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English historian and author (b. 1673)
• 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
• 1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
• 1758 – Francesco Zerafa, Maltese architect (b. 1679)
• 1792 – Tiradentes, Brazilian activist (b. 1746)
• 1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
• 1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
• 1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
• 1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
• 1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
• 1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
• 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
• 1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
• 1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
• 1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
• 1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
• 1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
• 1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
• 1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
• 1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
• 1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
• 1954 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (b. 1897)
• 1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
• 1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
• 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
• 1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
• 1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
• 1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
• 1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (b. 1893)
• 1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
• 1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
• 1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
• 1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
• 1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
• 1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
• 1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
• 1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
• 1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
• 1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
• 1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
• 1987 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1906)
• 1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
• 1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
• 1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and racing driver (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
• 1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
• 1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
• 1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
• 2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
• 2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
• 2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
• 2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
• 2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
• 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman (b. 1920)
• 2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
• 2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Kriyananda, Romanian-American spiritual leader (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1959)
• 2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
• 2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
• 2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
• 2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
• 2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
• 2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
• 2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
• 2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
• 2016 – Lonnie Mack, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
• 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)

Prince: 12 things we've learned since his death

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

This Friday, it will be one year since Prince died, after taking an accidental overdose of painkillers. 

His death robbed the world of a true original: A pocket-sized virtuoso who broke musical rules and defied genres, apparently without breaking a sweat.

President Obama called his death a "remarkable loss", and revealed he listened to Purple Rain to "just to get warmed up" in the morning.

The star was famously private, rarely giving interviews, and even serving non-disclosure agreements on former bandmates and collaborators.

Since his death, however, fans have been afforded the occasional glimpse into his life - some funny, some enlightening, all of them elevating his status as a visionary, and a musical genius.

Here are 12 things we've learned in the last 12 months.

There was a swear box at Paisley Park

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

With songs like Erotic City and Sexy Dancer, Prince became known as a rampant sex machine - but he was also a devoutly religious vegan, who became a Jehovah's Witness in 2003.

After that, he excised swear words from his music (Sexy MF was never played live again) and kept a "cuss bucket" in his recording studio.

"He didn't want to dishonour the faith," said his friend James Lundstrom. "He wasn't joking. You had to pay in cash in the bucket. He would charge you between three and 10 dollars per swear word. 

"Once I bumped my knee and I said, 'damn'. He said, 'What did you say?'"

On one occasion, Lundstrom recalled, a foul-mouthed musician stuffed a handful of hundred dollar bills in the swear jar as a down-payment for the rest of the day.

An obscure song called Comeback was played at his funeral

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Prince was cremated at a private ceremony for family and close friends on Saturday, 23 April. 

Among the songs played at the service was Comeback, an acoustic lament the star originally recorded in 1996 for his son, Ahmir, who was born with a rare genetic disorder and died seven days later.

Released on the fanclub-only album The Truth, the song's lyrics were equally apt for Prince's funeral.

"If you ever lose someone dear to you / Never say the words 'they're gone' / They'll come back."

Prince is wearing a wig in Purple Rain

Image copyrightSTEVE PARKE

Prince's former art director Steve Parke recently published a book featuring the intimate, behind-the-scenes photographs he took of the star during his time at Paisley Park.

He also recounts the time Prince invited him to watch a montage of old performances he was preparing for the American Music Awards. When a scene from Purple Rain appeared, the star bellowed, "Look at that wig!" and burst out laughing.

Parke later asked Prince's hair stylist Earl Jones about the comment. He explained the star had had to reshoot a few scenes after the filming wrapped - but he had already cut his hair and bleached it blond - necessitating the bouffant hairpiece.

Jones added that Prince had reacted so badly to the bleach that his hair started breaking off, so he had to let it grow out, and dye it back to black.

"The hairstyle in Raspberry Beret was literally all I could do with it."

He had a vicious mean streak

Image copyrightPA

It's no secret that Prince was a perfectionist - but some of the stories that emerged after his death highlighted the star's ruthless attitude towards his bandmates.

"He did like to push the band with fear," said Michael B Nelson, who played trombone for the New Power Generation.

One night, months into 1993's Act I tour, Nelson missed a high B during his solo on a song called The Flow.

"The next day, [Prince] came by and said, 'You're gonna play that solo right tonight?'" he told Rolling Stone. "I said, 'I'll do my best.' And he says, 'Uh, you did your best last night.' And he walks away."

That night, when it came to the solo, Prince walked up to him with his "golden gun" microphone (pictured above) and held it to his head. 

"I was like, 'Oh, my God.' And he kept doing it. And it was like a week of him doing this, and I'm freaking out. It wasn't showbiz at that point. It was, 'Don't you ever do that again'."

His final shopping spree included CDs by Stevie Wonder, and a cup of coffee

Image copyrightINSTAGRAM / PRINCE LIVE THE BEST

Five days before his death, Prince celebrated Record Store Day by cycling to his local record store and snapping up a few bargains.

According to Bob Fuchs, the manager of Electric Fetus, the star bought six CDs: 

1. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
2. Chambers Brothers - The Time Has Come
3. Joni Mitchell - Hejira
4. Swan Silvertones - Inspirational Gospel Classics
5. Missing Persons - The Best Of Missing Persons
6. Santana - Santana IV

Prince then set off on his bike, waving to fans at a nearby hair salon before visiting a local coffee store. According to barista, Alya Al-Hilwani, he preferred a mocha, with no whipped cream. 

He secretly bought the Purple Rain house 

Image copyrightCOLDWELL BANKER BURNET

In summer 2015, the Minneapolis house that featured as Prince's childhood home in the film Purple Rain went up for sale. It turns out that Prince bought it himself. 

Minnesota Public Radio checked property records and discovered the owner of the 1913 house, at 3420 Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis, was NPG Music Publishing - one of Prince's companies. 

The initial asking price was just $110,000, but Prince paid $117,000 in cash to secure the property. 

After his death, Prince's estate put it up for sale, saying "the costs of repair and ongoing maintenance" were such that keeping hold of the house was "not in the Estate's best interest".

Prince outsold Adele and Drake last year

Image copyrightPA

Incredibly, Prince was the biggest-selling artist in the US last year, in terms of album sales. He shifted more than 2.2 million albums in the months after his death, partly because his music was unavailable on the major streaming platrforms.

He was the only artist to sell more than one million digital and physical albums in 2016; and sold a total of 5.4 million digital songs, putting him ahead of Drake and Adele. 

When his music finally became available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Google Play this February, it was streamed 17 million times in one week - with Purple Rain alone racking up 1 million plays.

He travelled under the name Peter Bravestrong

Image copyrightPA

Prince had many aliases as a songwriter - Alexander Nevermind, Joey Coco and Jamie Starr, to name but a few.

But unsealed court documents show, released earlier this week, show that the star, an intensely private person, travelled under the name Peter Bravestrong to help conceal his identity.

That name was on a luggage tag he used while travelling to Atlanta for what proved to be his final concert. 

The suitcase was found at Paisley Park after his death, and contained several prescription bottles in the name of Kirk Johnson, a personal friend and employee since the 1980s. (It also contained handwritten lyrics for U Got the Look, according to investigators.) 

US authorities are still investigating how Prince obtained the prescription medications which killed him. 

He cooked a lot of eggs

Image copyrightAFP

As bandmates and friends lined up to pay tribute to Prince, they all seemed to have one memory in common: Eggs.

"Prince did the cooking. Scrambled eggs," singer Jill Jones told GQ magazine. "He put curry and a little bit of cheddar cheese in them. It was really good, actually. 

"You know, he barely ate. I was always starving around him. I was always freaking hungry."

"Prince was never an eater," agreed Cat Glover, who joined him on the Sign O The Times and Lovesexy tours. "He would usually smell his food. Literally. I never really seen Prince eat. I've seen him make pancakes - he made me pancakes, he made me eggs. But he's not the type of person that eats a lot.

"Yeah, he has made me scrambled eggs," said dancer Misty Copeland. "Breakfast was his forte. He liked to use a lot of seasoning. They were delicious."

It's worth noting that Prince himself did not carry an eggy whiff. 

"Ever since I've known Prince, I've attached a smell to him, which is lavender," Madonna once said. "He reeks of it."

He destroyed a windmill

Image copyrightPRINCE.ORG

One of the other properties put up for sale by Prince's estate was a huge, 160-acre estate near Lake Ann in Chanhassen, which was valued at almost $14 million.

It once contained a yellow three-story mansion-style house, complete with a home studio, where portions of Sign O' the Times and The Black Album were recorded. 

"There were a couple of summer nights where we could hear music coming through the woods," Juli Gempler, who lived next door, told ABC News after his death. "Nice and loud. It was good. It was really cool."

The property even had its own windmill - also bright yellow - where Prince presumably spent many a happy hour milling organic flour before baking a nice batch loaf.

Sadly, though, he had the house and the windmill torn down in the 1990s. Satellite images now show the property as a vast expanse of green fields and woodland, except for a lone tennis court.

We'll be hearing new Prince music for the rest of our lives

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Shortly after Prince's death, the legendary "vault" that contained his archive of concert recordings, unreleased songs and rehearsal tapes was drilled open.

According to the singer's former recording engineer Susan Rodgers, who started the vault for Prince during the 1980s, the facility was almost full when she left in 1987, with songs in there that pre-date his legendary Purple Rain album.

"We used to do two songs a day, and he just put them away," added his friend and engineer David Z. In fact, there's so much music waiting to be released, "it probably won't be tapped out in our lifetime," said former Paisley Park employee Scott LeGere.

The first release came last year, when the 1999-era track Moonbeam Levels was unearthed for the compilation Prince 4Ever. 

This June, an expanded version of Purple Rain is due, containing "two incredible albums of previously unreleased Prince music and two complete concert films," according to Warner Bros Records. A leaked tracklist suggests fans will finally get to hear studio versions of the much-bootlegged songs Electric Intercourse and Possessed, amongst others.

Prince's estate has also signed a $30m deal with Universal Music to release non-Warner Bros material - which will hopefully include fan favourites like Extraloveable, Wonderful Ass, Lisa, Train, Rebirth of the Flesh and Big Tall Wall.

There is some speculation that the star didn't maintain his vault to archival standards, and that some of the tapes may have deteriorated. Furthermore, the process of cataloguing the material hadn't even begun by the start of this year.

He never rehearsed that solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Image copyrightROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

One of the most widely-circulated links after Prince's death was a video of his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

It sees Prince joining an all-star version of the Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps, backed by Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and George Harrison's son, Dhani. He keeps to the sidelines until the final two minutes, when he steps forward to deliver one of the most breathtaking guitar solos you've ever seen, full of fluttering high notes and ringing harmonics. 

Amazingly, Prince never rehearsed this moment with the band. At a run-through the night before it was Jeff Lynne's guitarist, Marc Mann, who took the solo.

"Prince doesn't say anything, just starts strumming, plays a few leads here and there, but for the most part, nothing memorable," recalled Joel Gallen, who directed the ceremony. 

But when the big moment came, Prince stole the show. At one point, he turned to face Petty and Harrison, then fell backwards into the audience - while still playing - before strutting off stage, throwing his guitar into the air before the song ended.

"You see me nodding at him, to say, 'Go on, go on,'" Petty told the New York Times. "I remember I leaned out at him at one point and gave him a 'This is going great!' kind of look. 

"He just burned it up. You could feel the electricity of 'something really big's going down here.'"

Prince later claimed he had never even heard the song before it was sent to him to learn for the performance.

Νησιά τα οποία   λατρεύουν οι ντόπιοι, τα αγνοούν οι ξένοι τουρίστες

Μπορεί η Σαντορίνη και το Μπαλί να  αποτελούν ονειρικούς προορισμούς για εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους σε όλο τον κόσμο, αλλά, καθώς είναι δημοφιλή μέρη, είναι και συνήθως γεμάτα με κόσμο. 

Με αυτό το σκεπτικό το τουριστικό site (fodoros) έψαξε και βρήκε τα 10 νησιά στον κόσμο που, όπως σημειώνει, δεν τα έχουν εντοπίσει ακόμη οι ξένοι τουρίστες, και έτσι μοιάζουν περισσότερο με αυτό που ο καθένας έχει στο νου του ως ανέγγιχτο παράδεισο. Μπορεί να έχουν εσωτερικό τουρισμό, αλλά όχι από άλλες χώρες. 

Σε κάθε περίπτωση αυτά τα 10 νησιά δεν βουλιάζουν από κόσμο, δεν θα βρεθείς στη δύσκολη θέση του συνωστισμού, δεν θα αγανακτήσεις ούτε στο εστιατόριο να περιμένεις μέχρι να βρεις τραπέζι, ούτε στην παραλία ψάχνοντας ένα ήσυχο μέρος για να ξαπλώσεις, να απολαύσεις τον ήλιο και να κάνεις με ηρεμία τη βουτιά σου. 

Με άλλα λόγια τα συγκεκριμένα νησιά δεν παραπέμπουν στη Μύκονο. Και πέραν αυτού διακρίνονται και για κάτι ακόμη: Για τη φύση, που είναι τόσο μοναδική που θα θελήσεις να κάνεις τις βόλτες σου εξερευνώντας την, αλλά και γιατί θα μάθεις πώς ζουν εκεί οι ντόπιοι. Ισως να θελήσεις να μάθεις και κάποια πράγματα παραπάνω... 

Στη λίστα βρίσκεται και ένα ελληνικό νησί, πουι δεν είναι άλλο από την Ικαρία, την οποία μπορεί να λατρεύουμε οι Ελληνες, αλλά ίσως δεν την γνωρίζουν τόσο καλά οι τουρίστες από ξένες χώρες. 

• Νησιά  Yaeyama, Ιαπωνία

Τα εν λόγω νησιά αποτελούν έναν επίγειο παράδεισο με μοναδικές παραλίες. Γνωστό μέρος για όσους λατρεύουν τις καταδύσεις καθώς ο υποθαλάσσιος κόσμος του είναι με μια λέξη μαγευτικός: Κοραλλιογενείς ύφαλοι, δελφίνια, χελώνες και σαλάχια. 

Οι ντόπιοι απασχολούνται κυρίως σε φόρμες μαργαριταριών και σε εργαστήρια αγγειοπλαστικής.
Παρότι αποτελεί αγαπημένο προορισμό για τους Ιάπωνες, τα νησιά Γιαγέμα δεν είναι γνωστά στους ξένους τουρίστες με ότι αυτό συνεπάγεται... 

• Nησιά Providencia

Αν και στη Νότια Αμερική, θυμίζει Καραϊβική. 

Οι ντόπιοι, που μιλούν Αγγλικά και Ισπανικά, εξακολουθούν να ζουν με τις δικές τους παραδόσεις και έθιμα, μακριά από τον πολιτισμό. 

Ιδανικός προορισμός για όσους τους αρέσει το ψαροντούφεκο και αναζητούν παρθένες παραλίες για τις βουτιές τους και το... κυνήγι τους.

Κοραλλιογενείς ύφαλοι, σφουγγάρια, εξωτικά ψάρια αποτελούν δείγματα του θησαυρού που μπορεί να ανακαλύψει κανείς στα νερά του νησιού. 

• Τhe Isles of Scilly, Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο

Το καλύτερα κρυμμένο μυστικό της Βρετανίας ακούει στο όνομα Στσίλι, ένας υποτροπικός παράδεισος με 35 παραλίες με λευκή άμμο, εξωτικά φυτά και καταγάλανα νερά. 

Το ευχάριστο είναι ότι μπορείς να φθάσεις εκεί με μια 15λεπτη πτήση από την ηπειρωτική Βρετανία. 

Στο νησιωτικό αυτό σύμπλεγμα ανήκουν 140 νησιά, τα οποία είναι κατοικημένα, ή μάλλον αραιοκατοικημένα, καθώς οι μόνιμοι κάτοικοι ανέρχονται μόλις σε 2.200 άτομα. 

Αποτελεί επίσης ιδανικό προορισμό για όσους κάνουν καταδύσεις, καθώς στη βουτιά σου μπορείς να συναντήσεις από φώκιες έως δελφίνια. 

Γενικά ακριβή επιλογή για προορισμό διακοπών, ωστόσο, αν το αποφασίσετε να πάτε θα αισθανθείτε ότι κάνετε επιστροφή στο παρελθόν και θα γνωρίσετε έναν εντελώς διαφορετικό τρόπο ζωής. Εκεί, τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες δεν έχει αλλάξει τίποτα... 

• Sylt, Γερμανία 

Αποκαλούμενο και ως Côte d’Azur της Γερμανίας, θυμίζει τα Χάμπτονς και αποτελεί προορισμό διακοπτών των πλουσίων και ισχυρών της Γερμανίας. 

Το ζεστό μικροκλίμα του, λόγω των ρευμάτων στον κόλπο όπου βρίσκεται, αποτελεί ένα ακόμη θετικό του Σιλτ. Μάλιστα, το ειδικό κλίμα του και ο πλούσιος σε ιώδιο αέρας του υποστηρίζουν ότι είναι ιδιαίτερα ευεργετικός για την υγεία. 

Αν το επισκεφθείτε θα έχετε τη δυνατότητα στις διακοπές σας να κάνετε σπα, να επισκεφθείτε γήπεδα γκολφ αλλά και βραβευμένα με αστέρα Michelin εστιατόρια.

Οι λάτρεις της φύσης θα απολαύσουν το μοναδικό τοπίο με τους αμμόλοφους αλλά και τα ατελείωτα είδη διαφορετικών πτηνών. 

• Great Barrier, Νέα Ζηλανδία 

Ενα μεγάλο νησί καλυμμένο με δάσος και λιγότερους από 1.000 κατοίκους. Αγαπημένος προορισμός για τα Σαββατοκύριακα για τους κατοίκους του Ωκλαντ καθώς απέχει μόλις 30 λεπτά με το αεροπλάνο, και διαθέτει ιδιαίτερα ξενοδοχεία. Αυτό που τα διαφοροποιεί είναι ότι πέρα από πολυτελή είναι και οικολογικά καθώς παράγουν μόνα τους την ηλεκτρική ενέργεια που καταναλώνουν. 

Καθώς έχει ιδιαίτερα όμορφα μονοπάτια για πεζοπορία αποτελεί αγαπημένο προορισμό για όσους λατρεύουν το σπορ.
Επίσης, είναι πλούσιο σε ιαματικές πηγές.

• Ile de re, Γαλλία 

Ενα γραφικό ψαροχώρι, φρεσκότατα θαλασσινά στα μαγαζιά και παραλίες με χρυσές αμμουδιές. Εύκολο λοιπόν να καταλάβει κανείς γιατί το Ile de Re αποτελεί το τέλειο καταφύγιο για τους Παριζιάνους. Το δημοφιλές Saint-Martin-de-Ré θυμίζει κάπως τα ελληνικά νησιά, καθώς έχει ασβεστωμένα σπίτια με μπλε ή πράσινα παραθυρόφυλλα (τα μόνα χρώματα που επιτρέπονται). Μπορείτε να κάνετε τις βόλτες σας με ποδήλατα ή άλογα και να εξερευνήσετε τις αλυκές τις περιοχής, τους αμπελώνες και τα λιβάδια με τα αγριολούλουδα.
Επίσης θα έχετε τη μοναδική ευκαιρία να κάνετε πικ νικ τρώγοντας στρείδια, όπως οι ντόπιοι. 

• Pantelleria, Ιταλία

Πιο κοντά στην Αφρική παρά στην Ευρώπη, η Pantelleria είναι ίσως το λιγότερο γνωστό νησί της Ιταλίας.
Καθώς βρίσκεται μεταξύ Σικελίας και Τυνησίας  αποκαλείται και «μαύρη πέρλα της Μεσογείου» λόγω και των συναρπαστικών, μαύρων ηφαιστειακών παραλιών της.
Ιδανική για καταδύσεις κοντά σε βράχους και απομονωμένους όρμους, διαθέτει μοναδικά παραδοσιακά σπίτια χτισμένα από πέτρες λάβας. 

Ανάμεσα στα αξιοθέατα περιλαμβάνεται και η ηφαιστειακή λίμνη Specchio di Venere, η οποία τροφοδοτείται από ιαματικές πηγές.
Λόγω του ότι δεν έχει τόσο όμορφες παραλίες για μπάνια η Pantelleria δεν γνώρισε ποτέ μαζικό τουρισμό. Πάντως στο νησί έχει σπίτι και ο Τζόρτζιο Αρμάνι... 

• Νησί Philip, Αυστραλία

Το νησί Philip απέχει μόλις 90 λεπτά από τη Μελβούρνη. Διάσημο για το Grand Prix Μοτοσικλέτας που γίνεται εκεί κάθε Οκτώβριο, αλλά και ως τόπος οικογενειακών διακοπών το καλοκαίρι, αποτελεί ένα ενδιαφέρον νησί, διαφορετικό απ'ότι μπορεί να φανταστεί κανείς, το οποίο, όμως, αξίζει τον κόπο να εξερευνήσεις. 

• Vis, Κροατία 

Η Κροατία έχει 1.246 νησιά, 50 μόλις εκ των οποίων κατοικούνται. Από τα 50 αυτά νησιά, τα 15 έχουν πάνω από 1.000 κατοίκους. 

Ρομαντικό νησί με προστατευόμενους σμαραγδένιους όρμους φημίζεται για την παραδοσιακή κουζίνα του. 

To Vis είναι, επίσης, φημισμένο, για την πλούσια βλάστησή του καθώς έχει αμπέλια και ελαιώνες ενώ εκεί φυτρώνουν πάνω από 300 είδη βοτάνων. 

• Ικαρία, Ελλάδα 

Μπορεί να μην είναι το ομορφότερο από τα ελληνικά νησιά, λόγω των απόκρημνων βράχων του και των απότομων κοιλάδων του, αλλά οι επισκέπτες του πηγαίνουν εκεί για έναν ακόμη λόγο: Οι κάτοικοί του έχουν το μυστικό της μακροζωίας, αφού ζουν κατά μέσο όρο 10 χρόνια περισσότερο από τους υπόλοιπους Ελληνες. 

Η Ικαρία αποτελεί αγαπημένο προορισμό των Ελλήνων που πηγαίνουν εκεί για να κάνουν τα μπάνια τους στις ιαματικές πηγές και για να εξερευνήσουν τα πανέμορφα δάση, τις λίμνες με γλυκό νερό, τα ποτάμια, τα φαράγγια και τους καταρράκτες. Οι ντόπιοι αγαπούν να περνούν τον ελεύθερο χρόνο τους με την οικογένειά τους, τους φίλους τους και τους γείτονές τους τρώγοντας και πίνοντας. Και ναι, πολλοί πιστεύουν ότι στη διατροφή των Ικαριωτών βρίσκεται το μυστικό της μακροζωίας τους. 

Πέθανε ο ηθοποιός Στάθης Ψάλτης 

Εφυγε σήμερα από τη ζωή, μετά από μακρά νοσηλεία, ο 

ηθοποιός Στάθης Ψάλτης. 

Ο ηθοποιός τον τελευταίο μήνα νοσηλευόταν στο νοσοκομείο Αγιος Σάββας καθώς

 έπασχε από καρκίνο των πνευμόνων. Μάλιστα, την περασμένη Κυριακή μπήκε 

εσπευσμένα στην εντατική, μετά από πρόβλημα που αντιμετώπισε με το

 αναπνευστικό του.

Ο «βασιλιάς του γέλιου» πολέμησε με όλη τη δύναμη που είχε για να βγει

 νικητής σε αυτή την άνιση μάχη, αλλά δεν τα κατάφερε. 

Κοντινός του άνθρωπος, είχε δηλώσει τελευταία πως ο ηθοποιός «κάποιες 

στιγμές έχει ανεβασμένη διάθεση και λέει μέχρι και ανέκδοτα και τραγούδια,

 κάποιες άλλες πέφτει σε βύθιση, λόγω των ισχυρών φαρμάκων». 

Στο πλευρό του, σε αυτή τη σκληρή μάχη που έδωσε βρισκόταν συνεχώς η 

σύζυγός του, Χριστίνα.

«Εκλεβε» πάντα την παράσταση

Υπηρέτησε μέχρι τέλους τον απαιτητικό χώρο της επιθεώρησης. 

Το κοινό τον γνώρισε μέσα από τις βιντεοταινίες της δεκαετίας του '80 ωστόσο 

πάντα αποτελούσε έκπληξη με τις θεατρικές του επιλογές.
Σύσσωμο το κοινό τον αποθέωνε κάθε βράδυ, σχεδόν ένα χρόνο πριν στο 

Πάνθεον, όταν υποδύθηκε την παραμάνα της Ιουλιέτας στην παράσταση 

«Ρωμαίος και Ιουλιέτα». 

Ο Στάθης Ψάλτης γεννήθηκε στο Βέλο Κορινθίας όπου έζησε τα παιδικά του χρόνια

 μέχρι την ηλικία των 11 ετών όταν η οικογένειά του μετακόμισε στο Αιγάλεω.

Σπούδασε στη Δραματική σχολή του Κωνσταντίνου Μιχαηλίδη. Παντρεύτηκε

 την Τάρια Μπούρα  και το 2006 παντρεύτηκε την ηθοποιό Χριστίνα Ψάλτη 

(γεν. 1973). 

Έπαιξε σε πολλές ταινίες του ελληνικού κινηματογράφου αλλά και στο θέατρο.

 Έγινε ιδιαίτερα δημοφιλής μαζί με την Καίτη Φίνου στη δεκαετία του 1980 με

 εμπορικές ταινίες όπως Καμικάζι αγάπη μου, Τροχονόμος Βαρβάρα, Τα καμάκια, 

Βασικά καλησπέρα σας, Και ο πρώτος ματάκιας, Τρελλός είμαι ό,τι θέλω κάνω,

 Έλα να αγαπηθούμε ντάρλινγκ, Μάντεψε τι κάνω τα βράδια. 

Έχει παίξει πολλούς ρόλους, κατά το πλείστον κωμικούς.
Το 1973 στην τηλεοπτική σειρά Οι έμποροι των εθνών τραγούδησε το «Ήτανε

 μια φορά» του Σταύρου Ξαρχάκου. Από τότε έχει τραγουδήσει αρκετά τραγούδια

 σε ταινίες του και σε επιθεωρήσεις.

Πρωταγωνιστεί στον Καζαντζάκη του Σμαραγδή 

Μια ζωή μπροστά από την κάμερα, μέχρι τέλους, μιας και συμμετείχε στα 

γυρίσματα της νέας ταινίας του Γιάννη Σμαραγδή για τον Καζαντζάκη. 

Η ταινία βγαίνει το φθινόπωρο στις αίθουσες εκεί που θα δούμε τον

 Στάθη Ψαλτη στον ρόλο ενός καλόγερου. 

[edit]

• 238 – Year of the Six Emperors: The Roman Senate outlaws emperor Maximinus Thrax for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.
• 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
• 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
• 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues or 17° east of the Moluccas.
• 1622 – The Capture of Ormuz by the East India Company ends Portuguese control of Hormuz Island.
• 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl: The Austrian army is defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon and driven over the Danube in Regensburg.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston identify Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna among the captives of the battle when one of his fellow captives mistakenly gives away his identity.
• 1864 – The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 that mandates that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
• 1876 – The first game in the history of the National League was played at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of the MLB.
• 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: The USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
• 1906 – The 1906 Summer Olympics, not now recognized as part of the official Olympic Games, open in Athens.
• 1915 – The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
• 1930 – The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
• 1944 – The 1st Air Commando Group using Sikorsky R-4 helicopters stage the first use of helicopters in combat with combat search and rescue operations in the China Burma India Theater.
• 1944 – World War II: Operation Persecution is initiated: Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
• 1945 – World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt. Five hundred twenty are killed and around eighty escape.
• 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: After learning that Soviet forces have taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admits defeat in his underground bunker and states that suicide is his only recourse.
• 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: Haifa, a major port of Israel, is captured from Arab forces.
• 1951 – Korean War: The Chinese People's Volunteer Army begin assaulting positions defended by the Royal Australian Regiment and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry at the Battle of Kapyong.
• 1954 – Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins.
• 1969 – British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wins the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
• 1970 – The first Earth Day is celebrated.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
• 1977 – Optical fiber is first used to carry live telephone traffic.
• 1983 – The German magazine Stern claims the "Hitler Diaries" had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.
• 1992 – In a series of explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.
• 1997 – Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria where 93 villagers are killed.
• 2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami.
• 2004 – Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
• 2005 – Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan's war record.
• 2008 – The United States Air Force retires the remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.
• 2013 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest and charge two men with plotting to disrupt a Toronto area train service in a plot claimed to be backed by Al-Qaeda elements.
• 2014 – More than 60 people are killed and 80 are seriously injured in a train crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Katanga Province.

Births[edit]

• 1451 – Isabella I of Castile (d. 1504)
• 1518 – Antoine of Navarre (d. 1562)
• 1592 – Wilhelm Schickard, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1635)
• 1610 – Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
• 1658 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1709)
• 1690 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1763)
• 1707 – Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (d. 1754)
• 1711 – Paul II Anton, Prince Esterházy, Austrian soldier (d. 1762)
• 1724 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1804)
• 1732 – John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (d. 1814)
• 1744 – James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
• 1757 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1841)
• 1766 – Germaine de Staël, French philosopher and author (d. 1817)
• 1812 – Solomon Caesar Malan, Swiss-English orientalist (d. 1894)
• 1816 – Charles-Denis Bourbaki, French general (d. 1897)
• 1832 – Julius Sterling Morton, American journalist and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture (d. 1902)
• 1844 – Lewis Powell, American soldier, attempted assassin of William H. Seward (d. 1865)
• 1852 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
• 1854 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
• 1860 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (d. 1916)
• 1870 – Vladimir Lenin, German/Jewish/Swedish-Russian lawyer and founder of the Soviet Union (d. 1924)
• 1872 – Princess Margaret of Prussia (d. 1954)
• 1873 – Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
• 1876 – Róbert Bárány, Jewish Austrian-Swedish otologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
• 1876 – Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler and strongman (d. 1920)
• 1879 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (d. 1939)
• 1884 – Otto Rank, Jewish Austrian-American psychologist and academic (d. 1939)
• 1886 – Izidor Cankar, Slovenian historian, author, and diplomat (d. 1958)
• 1889 – Richard Glücks, German SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1891 – Laura Gilpin, American photographer (d. 1979)
• 1891 – Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
• 1891 – Harold Jeffreys, English mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1989)
• 1891 – Nicola Sacco, Italian-American criminal (d. 1927)
• 1892 – Vernon Johns, African-American minister and activist (d. 1965)
• 1899 – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born novelist and critic (d. 1977)
• 1904 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (d. 1967)
• 1905 – Robert Choquette, American-Canadian author, poet, and diplomat (d. 1991)
• 1906 – Eddie Albert, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1906 – Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (d. 1997)
• 1906 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (d. 1947)
• 1908 – Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
• 1909 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Sephardi Jewish Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
• 1909 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
• 1909 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician and academic (d. 1971)
• 1912 – Kathleen Ferrier, English operatic singer (d. 1953)
• 1912 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1914 – Baldev Raj Chopra, Indian director and producer (d. 2008)
• 1914 – Jan de Hartog, Dutch-American author and playwright (d. 2002)
• 1914 – José Quiñones Gonzales, Peruvian soldier and pilot (d. 1941)
• 1914 – Michael Wittmann, German SS officer (d. 1944)
• 1916 – Hanfried Lenz, German mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
• 1916 – Yehudi Menuhin, Jewish American-Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 1999)
• 1917 – Yvette Chauviré, French ballerina (d. 2016)
• 1917 – Sidney Nolan, Australian painter (d. 1992)
• 1918 – William Jay Smith, American poet and academic (d. 2015)
• 1918 – Mickey Vernon, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
• 1919 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
• 1919 – Bull Moose Jackson, American blues/R&B singer and saxophone player (d. 1989)
• 1919 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Richard Diebenkorn, American soldier and painter (d. 1993)
• 1922 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1979)
• 1922 – Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist and academic (d. 1973)
• 1923 – Peter Kane Dufault, American soldier, pilot, and poet (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Bettie Page, American model and actress (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Nam Duck-woo, South Korean politician, 12th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Charlotte Rae, American actress and singer
• 1926 – James Stirling, Scottish architect, designed the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and Seeley Historical Library (d. 1992)
• 1927 – Laurel Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
• 1929 – Michael Atiyah, English-Lebanese mathematician and academic
• 1929 – Robert Wade-Gery, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to India (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Enno Penno, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile
• 1931 – John Buchanan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Nova Scotia
• 1931 – Ronald Hynd, English dancer and choreographer
• 1933 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American chemist and astronaut (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Christopher Ball, English linguist and academic
• 1935 – Paul Chambers, African-American bassist and composer (d. 1969)
• 1935 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American journalist and actor (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Bhama Srinivasan, Indian-American mathematician and academic
• 1936 – Glen Campbell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1936 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (d. 1998)
• 1937 – Jack Nicholson, American actor and producer
• 1937 – Jack Nitzsche, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 2000)
• 1938 – Alan Bond, English-Australian businessman (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Gani Fawehinmi, Nigerian lawyer and activist (d. 2009)
• 1938 – Issey Miyake, Japanese fashion designer
• 1938 – Adam Raphael, English journalist and author
• 1939 – Mel Carter. American singer and actor
• 1939 – John Foley, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
• 1939 – Ray Guy, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (d. 2001)
• 1939 – Theodor Waigel, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Finance
• 1941 – Greville Howard, Baron Howard of Rising, English politician
• 1942 – Giorgio Agamben, Italian philosopher and academic
• 1942 – Mary Prior, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol
• 1943 – Keith Crisco, American businessman and politician (d. 2014)
• 1943 – Janet Evanovich, American author
• 1943 – Louise Glück, American poet
• 1943 – John Maples, Baron Maples, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Steve Fossett, American businessman, pilot, and sailor (d. 2007)
• 1944 – Doug Jarrett, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
• 1944 – Joshua Rifkin, American conductor and musicologist
• 1945 – Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Indian civil servant and politician, 22nd Governor of West Bengal
• 1945 – Demetrio Stratos, Egyptian-Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
• 1946 – Steven L. Bennett, American captain and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1972)
• 1946 – Paul Davies, English physicist and author
• 1946 – Louise Harel, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Scottish lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, English economist and academic
• 1946 – John Waters, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1948 – Larry Groce, American singer-songwriter and radio host
• 1948 – John Pritchard, English bishop
• 1950 – Peter Frampton, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1950 – Jancis Robinson, English journalist and critic
• 1951 – Paul Carrack, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1951 – Aivars Kalējs, Latvian organist, composer, and pianist
• 1951 – Ana María Shua, Argentinian author and poet
• 1952 – François Berléand, French actor
• 1952 – Dave Loveridge, New Zealand rugby player
• 1952 – Phil Smith, American basketball player (d. 2002)
• 1953 – Valeri Bondarenko, Estonian footballer and coach
• 1953 – Richard Broadbent, English businessman
• 1955 – David Collier, English businessman
• 1955 – Johnnie To, Hong Kong director and producer
• 1957 – Donald Tusk, Polish journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Poland
• 1959 – Keith Boanas, English footballer and manager
• 1959 – Tim Bowman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1959 – Terry Francona, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
• 1959 – Ryan Stiles, American-Canadian actor and producer
• 1960 – Lloyd Honeyghan, Jamaican-English boxer
• 1960 – Mart Laar, Estonian historian and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Estonia
• 1960 – Randall L. Stephenson, American businessman
• 1961 – Alo Mattiisen, Estonian composer (d. 1996)
• 1961 – Ann McKechin, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• 1961 – Dewey Nicks, American photographer and director
• 1962 – Jeff Minter, English video game designer
• 1962 – Danièle Sauvageau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Rosalind Gill, English sociologist and academic
• 1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic weightlifter and strongman
• 1964 – Paul Baxter, English footballer
• 1964 – Bo Gunge, Danish composer
• 1964 – Pooky Quesnel, English actress, screenwriter and singer
• 1965 – Miguel Leal, Portuguese footballer and manager
• 1965 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (d. 2009)
• 1966 – Mickey Morandini, American baseball player and manager
• 1966 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
• 1967 – David J. C. MacKay, English physicist, engineer, and academic
• 1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American actress and talk show panelist
• 1967 – Harvey Williams, American football player
• 1968 – Jo Angel, Australian cricketer
• 1968 – Bimbo Coles, American basketball player and coach
• 1968 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian-Swiss ice hockey player
• 1969 – Dion Dublin, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1970 – Erkki Bahovski, Estonian journalist
• 1971 – Eric Mabius, American actor
• 1971 – Spencer Prior, English footballer
• 1972 – Sabine Appelmans, Belgian tennis player
• 1972 – Owen Finegan, Australian rugby player and coach
• 1972 – Milka Duno, Venezuelan race car driver and engineer
• 1972 – Sergei Hohlov-Simson, Estonian footballer and manager
• 1972 – Willie Robertson, American hunter and businessman
• 1973 – Adem Poric, English-Australian footballer
• 1973 – Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer and manager
• 1974 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-American bass player, songwriter, and producer
• 1975 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
• 1975 – Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
• 1975 – Anders Nyström, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
• 1976 – Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1976 – Paul Henderson, Australian footballer
• 1976 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
• 1977 – Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
• 1978 – Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan runner and coach
• 1978 – David Masters, English cricketer
• 1978 – Matt Orford, Australian rugby league player
• 1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1978 – Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
• 1979 – Zoltán Gera, Hungarian footballer
• 1979 – Daniel Johns, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Igor Budan, Croatian footballer
• 1980 – Clarke Dermody, New Zealand rugby player
• 1980 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
• 1980 – Courtney Friel, American journalist
• 1980 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1980 – Quincy Timberlake, Kenyan-Australian activist, engineer, and politician
• 1981 – Ken Dorsey, American football player
• 1981 – Madis Kallas, Estonian decathlete and activist
• 1981 – Rafael Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2007)
• 1981 – Jonathan Trott, South African-English cricketer
• 1982 – Kaká, Brazilian footballer
• 1982 – Cassidy Freeman, American actress and musician
• 1982 – Joel Monaghan, Australian rugby league player
• 1982 – David Purcey, American baseball player
• 1982 – Aidas Reklys, Lithuanian figure skater
• 1982 – Aleksander Saharov, Estonian footballer
• 1982 – Noriko Shitaya, Japanese voice actress
• 1983 – Remi Ayodele, American football player
• 1983 – Sam W. Heads, English-American entomologist and palaeontologist
• 1983 – Jos Hooiveld, Dutch footballer
• 1983 – Matt Jones, American football player
• 1983 – Vangelis Mantzios, Greek footballer
• 1984 – Amelle Berrabah, English singer-songwriter
• 1986 – Amber Heard, American actress and producer
• 1986 – Marshawn Lynch, American football player
• 1986 – Dušan Šakota, Serbian-Greek basketball player
• 1987 – David Luiz, Brazilian footballer
• 1987 – David Mateos, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – John Obi Mikel, Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Dee Gordon, American baseball player
• 1988 – Tyra Sanchez, American drag queen and reality television personality
• 1989 – DeJuan Blair, American basketball player
• 1989 – Jasper Cillessen, Dutch footballer
• 1990 – Óscar González, Mexican boxer (d. 2014)
• 1990 – Jade Windley, English tennis player
• 1990 – Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper, real name Richard Colson Baker
• 1991 – Jordi Murphy, Irish international rugby player
• 1991 – Braydon Smith, Australian boxer (d. 2015)
• 1992 – Kenny Stills, American football player
• 1992 – Joonas Vaino, Estonian basketball player

Deaths[edit]

• 296 – Pope Caius
• 536 – Pope Agapetus I
• 591 – Peter III of Raqqa
• 613 – Saint Theodore of Sykeon
• 846 – Wuzong, Chinese emperor (b. 814)
• 1208 – Philip of Poitou, Prince-Bishop of Durham
• 1585 – Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück and Paderborn (b. 1550)
• 1616 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1547)
• 1672 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish linguist and poet (b. 1598)
• 1699 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, German poet (b. 1646)
• 1758 – Antoine de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (b. 1686)
• 1806 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (b. 1763)
• 1821 – Gregory V of Constantinople, Greek patriarch and saint (b. 1746)
• 1833 – Richard Trevithick, English engineer and explorer (b. 1771)
• 1850 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian philologist and physician (b. 1798)
• 1854 – Nicolás Bravo, Mexican general and politician, 11th President of Mexico (b. 1786)
• 1877 – James P. Kirkwood, Scottish-American engineer (b. 1807)
• 1892 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (b. 1823)
• 1893 – Chaim Aronson, Lithuanian businessman and author (b. 1825)
• 1894 – Kostas Krystallis, Greek author and poet (b. 1868)
• 1896 – Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (b. 1812)
• 1908 – Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Scottish-English merchant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
• 1925 – André Caplet, French composer and conductor (b. 1878)
• 1929 – Henry Lerolle, French painter and art collector (b. 1848)
• 1932 – Ferenc Oslay, Hungarian-Slovene historian and author (b. 1883)
• 1933 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1863)
• 1944 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (b. 1913)
• 1945 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1900)
• 1945 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (b. 1867)
• 1946 – Lionel Atwill, English-American actor (b. 1885)
• 1946 – Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1872)
• 1949 – Charles Middleton, American actor (b. 1874)
• 1950 – Charles Hamilton Houston, American lawyer and academic (b. 1895)
• 1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, English myrmecologist and coleopterist (b. 1870)
• 1956 – Walt Faulkner, American racing driver (b. 1918)
• 1968 – Stephen H. Sholes, American record producer (b. 1911)
• 1978 – Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
• 1980 – Jane Froman, American actress and singer (b. 1907)
• 1980 – Fritz Strassmann, German chemist and physicist (b. 1902)
• 1983 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
• 1984 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Paul Hugh Emmett, American chemist and academic (b. 1900)
• 1985 – Jacques Ferron, Canadian physician and author (b. 1921)
• 1986 – Mircea Eliade, Romanian historian and author (b. 1907)
• 1987 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1917)
• 1988 – Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
• 1989 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
• 1990 – Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
• 1994 – Richard Nixon, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (b. 1913)
• 1995 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and author (b. 1947)
• 1996 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
• 1996 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (b. 1908)
• 1998 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
• 1999 – Chan Canasta, Polish-English magician (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistani-Austrian physicist and engineer (b. 1926)
• 2002 – Linda Lovelace, American porn actress and activist (b. 1949)
• 2003 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
• 2003 – James H. Critchfield, American CIA officer (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Martha Griffiths, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1912)
• 2003 – Mike Larrabee, American runner (b. 1933)
• 2004 – Jason Dunham, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
• 2004 – Pat Tillman, American football player and soldier (b. 1976)
• 2005 – Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
• 2005 – Philip Morrison, American physicist and academic (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish sculptor and artist (b. 1924)
• 2006 – Henriette Avram, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1919)
• 2006 – D'Iberville Fortier, Canadian diplomat (b. 1926)
• 2006 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Juanita Millender-McDonald, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Cameron Argetsinger, American race car driver and lawyer (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Ed Chynoweth, Canadian businessman (b. 1941)
• 2009 – Jack Cardiff, British cinematographer, director and photographer (b. 1914)
• 2010 – Richard Barrett, American lawyer and activist (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Hazel Dickens, American singer-songwriter, bassist and guitarist (b. 1935)
• 2012 – John Amabile, American football player and coach (b. 1939)
• 2012 – Bill Granger, American author (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Buzz Potamkin, American director and producer (b. 1945)
• 2012 – George Rathmann, American chemist, biologist, and businessman (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Dave Gold, American businessman, founded 99 Cents Only Stores (b. 1932)
• 2013 – George Stanley Gordon, American businessman (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist and composer (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Mike Smith, English footballer (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Robert Suderburg, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
• 2013 – J. S. Verma, Indian judge, 27th Chief Justice of India (b. 1933)
• 2014 – Allen Jacobs, American football player and coach (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Werner Potzernheim, German cyclist (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Oswaldo Vigas, Venezuelan painter (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Dick Balharry, Scottish environmentalist and photographer (b. 1937)
• 2015 – Gennadi Vengerov, Belarusian-Russian actor (b. 1954)