1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1950th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 950th year of the 2nd millennium, the 50th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1950s decade.

Events

January

• January 1 - The International Police Association (IPA) - the largest police organization in the world - is formed.
• January 5
  • U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of organized crime in the U.S.
  • Sverdlovsk plane crash: Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 aboard are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force - 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur.^[1]
• January 6 - The UK recognizes the People's Republic of China; the Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response.
• January 7 - A fire consumes Mercy Hospital in Davenport, Iowa, killing 41 patients.
• January 9 - The Israeli government recognizes the People's Republic of China.
• January 11 - Hukbalahap guerrillas attack the town of Hermosa, Bataan in the Philippines.

• January 12
  • Submarine HMS Truculent collides with Swedish oil tanker Divina in the Thames Estuary and sinks; 64 die.^[2]
  • Cold War: U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson delivers his 'Perimeter Speech', outlining the boundary of U.S. security guarantees.
• January 13 - Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
• January 14 - The prototype MiG-17 Fresco makes its maiden flight.
• January 17 - Great Brink's Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from the Brink's armored car company headquarters, in Boston, Massachusetts.
• January 21 - Accused communist spy Alger Hiss is convicted on two counts of perjury.
• January 23 - The Knesset passes a resolution that states Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
• January 24 - Cold War: Klaus Fuchs, German émigré and physicist, confesses to an MI5 interrogator that he is a Soviet spy: for seven years, he passed top secret data on U.S. and British nuclear weapons research to the Soviet Union. Fuchs is formally charged on February 2.^[3]
• January 25 - Alger Hiss receives a five-year sentence, following his conviction on two counts of perjury.
• January 26 - India promulgates its constitution, forming a republic, and Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first president. The Kingdom of Mysore is merged into the new republic.
• January 31
  • United States President Harry S. Truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb in 1949.^[4]
  • The last Kuomintang troops surrender in mainland China.

February

• February 1 - Chiang Kai-shek is re-elected as president of the Republic of China.
• February 4 - Ingrid Bergman's illegitimate child arouses ire in the U.S.
• February 6
  • In West Virginia, 372,000 coal miners strike (they remain out until March 3).^[5]
  • The first Cabinet Secretary (N.R. Pillai) is appointed in India.
• February 8
  • The Stasi is founded in East Germany, and acts as a secret police until 1990.
  • A payment is first made by Diners Club card, in New York (the first use of a charge card).
• February 9 - Second Red Scare: In his speech to the Republican Women's Club at the McClure Hotel in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with 205 Communists.
• February 11
  • Two Viet Minh battalions attack a French base in French Indochina.
  • Finland recognizes Indonesia.
• February 12
  • Pro-communist riots erupt in Paris.
  • The European Broadcasting Union is founded.
  • Albert Einstein warns that nuclear war could lead to mutual destruction.
• February 13
  • The U.S. Army begins to deploy anti-aircraft cannons, to protect nuclear stations and military targets.
  • British Columbia B-36 crash: The U.S. Air Force loses a Convair B-36 bomber that carried a Mark 4 nuclear bomb off the west coast of Canada, and produces the world's first Broken Arrow.^[]
• February 14 - Cold War:
  • The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty (later terminated in 1979).
  • In an election speech at Edinburgh, Winston Churchill proposes "a parley at the summit" with Soviet leaders, the first use of the term "summit" for such a meeting.^[6]
• February 15
  • Juho Kusti Paasikivi is re-elected president of Finland.
  • Walt Disney releases his 12th animated film, Cinderella, in Hollywood.
• February 19 - Konrad Adenauer tries unsuccessfully to negotiate with East Germany, to begin unification.
• February 21 - Cunard liner Aquitania arrives at the scrapyard in Faslane at the end of a 36-year career, the longest of any in the 20th Century.
• February 23 - 1950 United Kingdom general election: The Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee, remains in office, but the Tories, led by Winston Churchill, increase their seats in the House of Commons.

March

• March 1
  • Klaus Fuchs is convicted in London of spying against both Britain and the United States for the Soviet Union, by giving to the latter top secret atomic bomb data.
  • Acting Chinese President Li Tsung-jen ends his term in office.
  • Chiang Kai-shek resumes his duties as Chinese president, after moving his government to Taipei, Taiwan.
• March 3 - Poland indicates its intention to exile all Germans.
• March 8 - The first Volkswagen Type 2 (also known as the Microbus) rolls off the assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany.
• March 12 - A plane carrying returning rugby fans from Ireland to Wales crashes near Llandow, with the loss of 80 lives.
• March 13 - Royal Question: Belgian monarchy referendum, 1950 - In Belgium, the referendum over the monarchy shows 57.7% support the return of King Leopold III, 42.3% against.
• March 14 - The ship Cygnet hits a mine off the Dutch coast.
• March 17 - University of California, Berkeley researchers announce the creation of element 98, which they name "Californium".
• March 18 - The Belgian government collapses, after the March 12 referendum favouring of the return from exile of King Leopold III.^[7]
• March 20 - The Polish government enacts a law to take possession of properties owned by Roman Catholic churches.^[8]
• March 22 - Egypt demands that Britain remove all its troops in the Suez Canal.
• March 23 - The 22nd Academy Awards Ceremony is held.

April

• April 14
  • Influential British comic Eagle is launched.
  • NSC 68 is issued by the United States National Security Council, advocating the development of the hydrogen bomb, increased military aid to America's allies, and the rollback of communist expansion.
• April 15 - Belgian King Leopold III announces that he is ready to abdicate in favor of his son, Baudouin.
• April 24 - Jordan formally annexes the West Bank.
• April 25 - The trial of alleged communist spy Judith Coplon commences in New York City.
• April 27
  • Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating the races.
  • Britain formally recognises Israel.

May

• May 1 - UNRWA operations begin.
• May 5 - Bhomibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand is crowned, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok.
• May 6
  • The town of Cazin (Bosnia) rises up against Communist agrarian reforms.
  • Tollund Man is unearthed in Denmark.
• May 9
  • Robert Schuman presents his proposal for the creation of a pan-European organisation, which he believes to be indispensable to the maintenance of permanently peaceful relations between the different nations of the continent. This proposal, known as the "Schuman Declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
  • L. Ron Hubbard publishes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
• May 11 - The Kefauver Committee hearings into U.S. organized crime begin.
• May 13 - The first race in the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship is held, at Silverstone, England.
• May 14 - The Huntsville Times runs the headline "Dr. von Braun Says Rocket Flights Possible to Moon."
• May 17 - Israeli Air Force Spitfires intercept a Royal Air Force Short Sunderland, when it inadvertently crossed into Israeli airspace, forcing it to land at Lod Airport. The Sunderland's crew had been issued maps that did not depict Israel, as Britain had not recognized the Jewish State at the time the maps were issued.
• May 22
  • Celâl Bayar becomes the third president of Turkey.
  • Adnan Menderes of the DP forms the new government of Turkey (19th government).
• May 24 - The United States Maritime Administration is formed (under the Department of Commerce).
• May 25 - The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is formally opened to traffic.
• May 29
  • St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • The pilot series of the world's longest-running radio soap opera, The Archers, is first broadcast on BBC Light Programme.

June

• June 1 - June 23 - Mauna Loa in Hawaii starts erupting.
• June 3 - Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, of the French Annapurna expedition, become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
• June 6 - Turkey: The Adhan in Arabic is legalized.
• June 8 - Sir Thomas Blamey becomes the only Field Marshal in Australian history.
• June 16 - Maracana Stadium, which becomes a well-known sports venue of Brazil, opens in Rio de Janeiro, in advance of the opening of the 1950 FIFA World Cup in the country^[], on June 24.
• June 25 - The Korean War begins: Troops and T-34 tanks of the North Korean People's Army cross the 38th parallel into South Korea.
• June 26 - The Parliament of South Africa passes the Suppression of Communism Act.
• June 27 - Korean War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman orders American military forces to aid in the defense of South Korea.
• June 28 - Korean War:
  • North Korean forces capture Seoul, but do not win the war.
  • Hangang Bridge bombing: The South Korean army, in an attempt to defend Seoul, blows up the Hangang Bridge while it is crowded with refugees.
  • Seoul National University Hospital massacre: North Korean troops kill around 800 medical staff and patients.
  • Bodo League massacre begins: South Korean armed forces and police summarily execute at least 100,000 suspected North Korean sympathizers.

July

• July 14-21 - Korean War - Battle of Taejon: North Korean forces capture the city held by the U.S. 24th Infantry Division, but the delay allows establishment of the Pusan Perimeter.
• July 16 - Uruguay beats Brazil 2-1, to win the 1950 World Cup.
• July 17 - The Suppression of Communism Act (passed on June 26) comes into force in South Africa.
• July 30 - 4 workers striking over the "Royal Question" in Belgium are shot dead by the Gendarmerie, at Grâce-Berleur near Liège.^[9]

August

• August 1 - Crusader Rabbit, the first animated TV series, debuts on television in the United States.
• August 5
  • 2 Squadron SAAF departs, to take part in the Korean War.^[10]
  • 1950 Fairfield-Suisun Boeing B-29 crash: A bomb-laden Boeing B-29 Superfortress crashes into a residential area in California, killing 17 and injuring 68.
• August 6 - Monarchist demonstrations lead to a riot in Brussels.
• August 8
  • Florence Chadwick swims across the English Channel in 13 hours, 22 minutes.
  • Winston Churchill supports idea of a pan-European army, allied with Canada and the U.S.
• August 12
  • Korean War: Bloody Gulch massacre.
  • In his encyclical Humani generis, Pope Pius XII declares evolution to be a serious hypothesis, that does not contradict essential Catholic teachings.
• August 15 - The 8.6 M_w  Assam-Tibet earthquake shakes the region, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 1,500-3,300 people.
• August 17 - Korean War - Hill 303 massacre: 39 U.S. soldiers are executed, after being captured in battle by North Korea.
• August 22 - The Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary is founded in Tagbilaran City, Philippines.
• August 23 - Legendary singer-actor Paul Robeson, whose passport had recently been revoked because of his alleged Communist affiliations, meets with U.S. officials in an effort to get it reinstated. He is unsuccessful, and it is not reinstated until 1958.

September

• September 3 - Italian racing driver Giuseppe Farina becomes the first winner of the FIA Formula One World Championship, being the only driver to win the championship in his home country.
• September 4
  • Darlington Raceway in South Carolina is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race.
  • The comic strip Beetle Bailey is created by Mort Walker in the United States.
• September 7
  • A coal mine collapse in New Cumnock, Scotland, kills 13 miners; 116 are rescued.
  • The game show Truth or Consequences debuts on television in the United States.
• September 8 - The Defense Production Act is enacted into law in the United States, shaping American military contracting for the next 60 years.
• September 9 - The U.S. state of California celebrates its centennial anniversary.
• September 12 - Communist riots erupt in Berlin.
• September 15 - Korean War - Battle of Inchon: Allied troops commanded by Douglas MacArthur land in Inchon, occupied by North Korea, to begin a U.N. counteroffensive.
• September 18 - Rede Tupi, the first television broadcast network in South America, is founded in Brazil.
• September 19 - West Germany decides to purge communist officials.
• September 22 - The World Dance Council is inaugurated.
• September 26 - Indonesia is admitted to the United Nations.
• September 30 - NSC 68 is approved by President Truman, setting U.S. foreign policy for the next 20 years.

October

• Turing test published.^[11]
• October 2 - The comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published in seven U.S. newspapers.
• October 3 - Getúlio Vargas is elected president of Brazil for a 5-year term.
• October 5 - The Indonesian government quells riots in the Moluccas.
• October 7
  • Battle of Chamdo: The incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China, begins with the Chinese People's Liberation Army invading across the Jinsha River. By October 19 they will have taken the border town of Chamdo, and the Tibetan army will have surrendered.
  • The Agate Pass Bridge opens for traffic in Washington State.
• October 9 - The Goyang Geumjeong Cave massacre begins in South Korea.
• October 11 - The Federal Communications Commission in the United States issues the first license to broadcast television in color, to CBS (RCA will successfully dispute and block the license from taking effect, however).
• October 15
  • The second Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens in Washington.
  • In East Germany, the Communists win 99.7% of the vote.
• October 19 - Korean War: The People's Republic of China enters the conflict, by sending thousands of soldiers across the Yalu River.
• October 20 - Australia passes the Communist Party Dissolution Act, which is later struck down by the High Court.
• October 28 - Torcida Split is founded, in support of the Association football club HNK Hajduk Split, in SFR Yugoslavia.
• October 29 - Upon the death of Gustaf V of Sweden, he is succeeded as king by his 68-year-old son Gustaf VI Adolf.
• October 30 - The Jayuya Uprising is started by Puerto Rican Nationalists, against the United States-supported government.

November

• November 1
  • Pope Pius XII witnesses the "Miracle of the Sun" at the Vatican^[12] and defines a new dogma of Roman Catholicism, the Munificentissimus Deus, which says that God took Mary's body into Heaven after her death (the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary").
  • Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who is staying at the Blair-Lee House in Washington, D.C. during White House repairs.
• November 4 - The United Nations ends the diplomatic isolation of Spain.
• November 8 - Korean War: While in an F-80, United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown intercepts 2 North Korean MiG-15s near the Yalu River and shoots them down, in the first jet-to-jet dogfight in history.
• November 10 - A U.S. Air Force B-50 Superfortress bomber, experiencing an in-flight emergency, jettisons and detonates a Mark 4 nuclear bomb over Quebec, Canada (the device lacks its plutonium core).
• November 11 - The Mattachine Society is founded in Los Angeles, California, as the first gay-liberation organization.
• November 13
  • The President of Venezuela, Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, is kidnapped and murdered in Caracas.
  • A Curtiss Reid Flying Services plane crashes while en route to Paris from Rome, killing all 52 on board.
• November 17 - Tenzin Gyatso, 15, is formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama, becoming temporal ruler of Tibet.^[13]
• November 18 - The United Nations accepts the formation of the Libyan National Council.
• November 20 - T. S. Eliot speaks against television in the UK.
• November 22
  • Anti-British riots erupt in Egypt.
  • Shirley Temple announces her retirement from show business.
• November 24 - A phenomenal winter storm ravages the northeastern United States, brings 30-50 inches of snow and temperatures below zero, and kills 323 people.
• November 26 - Korean War: Troops from the People's Republic of China launch a massive counterattack against South Korean and United Nations forces at the Ch'ongch'on River and the Chosin Reservoir, dashing any hopes for a quick end to the conflict.
• November 28
  • The Colombo Plan for Co-operative Economic Development in South and South-East Asia comes into effect.
  • Greece and Yugoslavia reform diplomatic relations.
• November 29 - The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is founded.
• November 30 - Douglas MacArthur threatens to use nuclear weapons in Korea.

December

• December 2 - Korean War: The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River ends, with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army expelling UN forces from North Korea.
• December 4 - The Foley Square trial commences review in the U.S. Supreme Court, as Dennis v. United States.
• December 25 - The Stone of Scone, the traditional coronation stone for British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by four Scottish nationalist students. It turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
• December 31 - The inaugural 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race is held.

Date unknown

• Canadians Harry Wasylyk, Larry Hansen and Frank Plomp introduce the plastic bin bag, for garbage collection.
• Myxomatosis is introduced into Australia, in an attempt to control the escalating rabbit population.
• IBM Israel begins operating in Tel Aviv.
• President Harry Truman sends United States military advisers to Vietnam, to aid French forces.
• France institutes a government-guaranteed minimum wage.
• Knox's Translation of the Vulgate Old Testament (commissioned by the Catholic Church) is published.
• Laos gets involved in the First Indochina War, to overthrow the French Army.

Births

January

• January 1 - Steve Ripley, American country singer (d. 2019)
• January 2
  • Débora Duarte, Brazilian actress
  • David Shifrin, American classical clarinetist
  • Grant Adcox, American race car driver (d. 1989)
• January 3 - Victoria Principal, American actress (Dallas)
• January 5
  • John Manley, Canadian politician
  • Charlie Richmond, Canadian entrepreneur, inventor
• January 6
  • Louis Freeh, American Director of the FBI
  • Thomas J. Pickard, American Acting Director of the FBI
• January 7
  • Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer, songwriter and philanthropist (d. 2016)
  • Erin Gray, American actress (Dallas)
• January 9 - Alec Jeffreys, British geneticist, who developed techniques for DNA fingerprinting and DNA profiling
• January 10 - Ernie Wasson, American gardener, writer
• January 12
  • Sheila Jackson Lee, African-American politician
  • Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-born British businesswoman; First Lady of Iceland
• January 14 - Jagadguru R?mabhadr?c?rya, Hindu religious leader
• January 16
  • Kalle Könkkölä, Finnish politician, human rights activist (d. 2018)
  • Debbie Allen, African-American actress, dancer, and choreographer
• January 17
  • Steve Cuozzo, American writer, columnist
  • Cristina Galbó, Spanish actress
  • Honey Irani, Indian film actress, screenwriter
  • Luis López Nieves, Puerto Rican writer
• January 18 - Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (d. 1982)
• January 20 - Edward Hirsch, American poet
• January 21 - Billy Ocean, West Indian-born musician (Caribbean Queen)
• January 22 - Pamela Salem, British actress
• January 23 - Richard Dean Anderson, American actor (MacGyver)
• January 24
  • Daniel Auteuil, French actor
  • Gennifer Flowers, American actress, connected to Bill Clinton
  • Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-born American author, scholar
• January 26
  • Jörg Haider, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
  • Janet Lupo, American model
• January 27
  • Derek Acorah, British spiritualist, medium (d. 2020)
  • Ulrich Deppendorf, German journalist, television presenter
• January 29
  • Ann Jillian, American actress
  • Jody Scheckter, South African race car driver
  • Miklós Vámos, Hungarian writer, screenwriter
• January 30 - Trinidad Silva, American actor (d. 1988)

February

• February 1
  • John Bowe, English actor
  • Mike Campbell, American musician
  • Kazimierz Nycz, Polish clergyman
• February 3 - Morgan Fairchild, American actress (Flamingo Road)
• February 6
  • Natalie Cole, African-American singer (d. 2015)
  • Timothy Michael Dolan, Roman Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop of New York
• February 8
  • Jonathan Freeman, American actor, voice actor
  • Peter Wells, New Zealand writer, filmmaker (d. 2019)
• February 10
  • Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican politician and economist, assassinated while campaigning for President of Mexico (d. 1994)^[14]
  • Mark Spitz, American Olympic swimmer
• February 12
  • Steve Hackett, English songwriter, guitarist
  • Michael Ironside, Canadian actor (V)
  • João W. Nery, Brazilian writer and LGBT activist
• February 13 - Peter Gabriel, English rock musician, original lead singer of Genesis
• February 14
  • Verónika con K, Mexican actress, singer and TV hostess
  • Daniel Borel, Swiss businessman, co-founder of Logitech
• February 15 - Tsui Hark, Hong Kong film director
• February 16
  • Peter Hain, British politician
  • Roman Tam, Chinese Cantopop singer (d. 2002)
• February 18
  • Nana Amba Eyiaba I, Ghanaian queen mother and advocate
  • John Hughes, American film director, producer and writer (d. 2009)
  • Cybill Shepherd, American actress (The Last Picture Show)
• February 20
  • Ken Shimura, Japanese television performer, actor
  • Tony Wilson, English impresario (d. 2007)
• February 21
  • Larry Drake, American actor, voice artist, and comedian (d. 2016)
  • Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia
• February 22
  • Julius Erving, African-American basketball player
  • Awn Al-Khasawneh, Prime Minister of Jordan
  • Miou-Miou, French actress
  • Julie Walters, English actress
• February 25
  • Neil Jordan, Irish film director, writer and producer
  • Néstor Kirchner, 49th President of Argentina (d. 2010)
• February 26
  • Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • Bill Ritter, American news anchor
• February 27 - Azean Irdawaty, Malaysian actress, singer (d. 2013)

March

• March 2
  • Helmut Köllen, German bass and guitar player (d. 1977)
  • Karen Carpenter, American singer, drummer (d. 1983)
• March 4 - Rick Perry, Governor of Texas
• March 9 - Danny Sullivan, American race car driver
• March 10 - Carlos Roberto Flores, President of Honduras
• March 11
  • Bobby McFerrin, African-American singer (Don't Worry, Be Happy)
  • Jerry Zucker, American film producer, director, and writer
• March 12 - Javier Clemente, Spanish football player, manager
• March 13
  • William H. Macy, American actor
  • Charles Krauthammer, American conservative political commentator (d. 2018)
• March 18
  • Brad Dourif, American actor
  • Rod Milburn, American athlete (d. 1997)
• March 20 - William Hurt, American actor
• March 21 - Sergey Lavrov, current Foreign Minister of Russia
• March 22
  • Hugo Egon Balder, German actor, television presenter
  • Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (d. 2012)
• March 26
  • Teddy Pendergrass, African-American singer (d. 2010)
  • Martin Short, Canadian-born comedian (Saturday Night Live)
  • Alan Silvestri, American composer, conductor
• March 28
  • Claudio Lolli, Italian singer, songwriter (d. 2018)
  • Jeffrey Miller, Kent State University shooting victim (d. 1970)
• March 29
  • Kulsoom Nawaz, Pakistani politician (d. 2018)
  • Mory Kanté, Guinean musician
• March 30
  • Dave Ball, English guitarist (Procol Harum) (d. 2015)
  • Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor, comedian
  • David Janson, British actor
• March 31 - Ed Marinaro, American football player, actor (Hill Street Blues)

April

• April 1 - Samuel Alito, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• April 3 - Sally Thomsett, English actress
• April 4 - Christine Lahti, American actress
• April 5
  • Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish pop singer, songwriter (ABBA)
  • Harpo, Swedish pop musician
• April 7 - Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, former First Lady of Brazil (d. 2017)
• April 8
  • Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer
  • Carmen Twillie, American actress, singer
• April 10 - Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player
• April 12
  • Joyce Banda, née Mtila, 4th President of Malawi
  • David Cassidy, American actor, singer (The Partridge Family) (d. 2017)
• April 13 - Ron Perlman, American actor
• April 14 - Péter Esterházy, Hungarian writer (d. 2016)
• April 15 - Josiane Balasko, French actress, writer and director
• April 17 - Bruce McNall, American businessman
• April 18 - Kenny Ortega, American producer, director and choreographer
• April 20
  • Steve Erickson, American novelist
  • N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician
• April 21 - Shivaji Satam, Indian television, film actor
• April 22
  • Peter Frampton, English rock musician (Do You Feel Like We Do)
  • Thierry Zéno, Belgian filmmaker
• April 25
  • Lenora Fulani, African-American presidential candidate
  • Apollo C. Quiboloy, Filipino televangelist, religious leader
• April 26 - Liz Chase, Zimbabwean field hockey player (d. 2018)
• April 28 - Jay Leno, American comedian, talk show host (The Tonight Show)
• April 29 - Paul Holmes, New Zealand radio, television broadcaster (d. 2013)

May

• May 1 - Yang Jiechi, Chinese politician
• May 2 - Moondog Rex, American professional wrestler (d. 2019)
• May 3 - Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
• May 5 - Googoosh, Iranian singer, actress
• May 7 - Tim Russert, American journalist (Meet the Press) (d. 2008)
• May 10 - Dale Wilson, Canadian voice actor
• May 11
  • Jeremy Paxman, English journalist
  • Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Indian actor (d. 2014)
• May 12
  • Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor
  • Ching Hai, Vietnamese-born Taiwanese author, spiritual leader and jewelry designer
  • Billy Squier, American musician
• May 13
  • Joe Johnston, American film director
  • Danny Kirwan, British musician (d. 2018)
  • Bobby Valentine, American baseball manager
  • Stevie Wonder, African-American musician
• May 14 - Jill Stein, American politician, activist, and 2016 Green Party presidential candidate
• May 15 - Renate Stecher, German athlete
• May 16 - Georg Bednorz, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• May 17 - Janez Drnovsek, Slovenian politician, 2-time Prime Minister of Slovenia, 2nd President of Slovenia (d. 2008)
• May 18
  • Thomas Gottschalk, German radio, television host, entertainer and actor
  • Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, artist, and singer (Devo)
• May 22 - Bernie Taupin, English lyricist, collaborator with Elton John
• May 23 - Bill Barr, United States Attorney General
• May 24 - Thomas DeSimone, American gangster
• May 29
  • Rebbie Jackson, African-American singer
  • Frederick Sumaye, 7th Prime Minister of Tanzania
• May 31 - Gregory Harrison, American actor, director

June

• June 1
  • Michael McDowell, American novelist and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • Gennadi Manakov, Soviet and Russian cosmonaut (d. 2019)
• June 3
  • Deniece Williams, African-American singer
  • Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • Suzi Quatro, American singer, songwriter
• June 5 - Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., Filipino journalist, political activist (d. 1977)
• June 7 - Howard Finkel, American ring announcer
• June 8 - Kathy Baker, American actress
• June 11 - Graham Russell, English singer, musician (Air Supply)
• June 13 - Belinda Bauer, Australian actress
• June 14 - Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
• June 15 - Lakshmi Mittal, Indian industrialist
• June 16
  • Mithun Chakraborty, Indian actor, singer, producer, writer, social worker, entrepreneur
  • Jerry Petrowski, American politician, farmer
• June 19 - Ann Wilson, American singer, musician ((Heart))
• June 20 - Nouri al-Maliki, 74th Prime Minister of Iraq
• June 21
  • Joey Kramer, American musician
  • Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Greek singer, musician
• June 22
  • Adrian N?stase, 59th Prime Minister of Romania
  • Zenonas Petrauskas, Lithuanian lawyer, politician (d. 2009)
• June 24 - Nancy Allen, American actress
• June 25
  • Nitza Saul, Israeli actress
  • Marcello Toninelli, Italian writer
• June 26 - Jaak Joala, Estonian singer, musician (d. 2010)
• June 29
  • Simone Gbagbo, ICC criminal, former Ivorian politician and First Lady
  • Don Moen, American Christian singer, musician
• June 30 - Leonard Whiting, British actor

July

• July 1 - Fakahau Valu, Tongan rugby union player
• July 3 - Yisrael Aharoni, Israeli Chef and actor
• July 4 - Philip Craven, 2nd President of the International Paralympic Committee
• July 5 - Huey Lewis, American rock singer (The Power of Love)
• July 7 - Riki Gal, Israeli singer
• July 9
  • Gwen Guthrie, American singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
  • Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine
• July 11 - Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani Nuclear physicist, social activist
• July 12 - Eric Carr, American rock drummer, musician (Kiss) (d. 1991)
• July 13
  • Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
  • Jurelang Zedkaia, 5th President of the Marshall Islands (d. 2015)
• July 14 - Chungsen Leung, Taiwanese-Canadian businessman, politician
• July 17
  • Derek de Lint, Dutch actor
  • Tengku Sulaiman Shah, Malaysian corporate figure
  • Phoebe Snow, African-American singer, songwriter (Poetry Man) (d. 2011)
  • Peter Neufeld, American lawyer and author
• July 18
  • Sir Richard Branson, British entrepreneur (Virgin Airlines)
  • Glenn Hughes, American vocalist (The Village People) (d. 2001)
  • Jack Layton, Canadian politician (d. 2011)
• July 19
  • Simon Cadell, English actor (d. 1996)
  • Per-Kristian Foss, Norwegian Minister of Finance
  • Freddy Moore, American musician
• July 20 - William Knox Schroeder, Kent State University shooting victim (d. 1970)
• July 26 - Susan George, British actress
• July 27 - Simon Jones, English actor
• July 28
  • Soh Chin Aun, Malaysian footballer
  • Sir Tapley Seaton, Kittitian politician, 4th Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis
• July 29 - Jenny Holzer, American conceptual artist
• July 30 - Frank Stallone, American actor

August

• August 1
  • Bunkhouse Buck, American professional wrestler
  • Roy Williams, American basketball coach
  • Frances Fitzgerald, 24th Tánaiste of Ireland
• August 2 - Lance Ito, American judge
• August 3
  • John Landis, American film director
  • Jo Marie Payton, American actress
  • Ernesto Samper, 29th President of Colombia
• August 4 - Gidi Gov, Israeli singer and artist
• August 5 - Rosi Mittermaier, German ski racer
• August 7 - Alan Keyes, African-American conservative political activist
• August 8
  • Lucjan Lis, Polish-German cyclist (d. 2015)
  • Ken Kutaragi, Japanese ex-C.E.O of Sony Computer Entertainment
• August 9
  • Anémone, French actress, filmmaker and political activist (d. 2019)
  • Nicole Tourneur, French novelist (d. 2011)
• August 10 - Patti Austin, African-American singer
• August 11
  • Erik Brann, American musician (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)
  • Gennadiy Nikonov, Russian weapon designer (d. 2003)
  • Steve Wozniak, American inventor, engineer, programmer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur
• August 12
  • Jim Beaver, American actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian
  • Iris Berben, German actress
• August 13 - Jane Carr, English actress
• August 15
  • Anne, Princess Royal, British Princess, daughter of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Neil J. Gunther, Australian/American physicist, computer scientist
  • Tom Kelly, American baseball manager
  • Andres Serrano, American photographer
• August 16
  • Hasely Crawford, West Indian athlete
  • Marshall Manesh, Persian actor
• August 17 - Jose Apolinario Lozada Jr., Filipino diplomat, politician (d. 2018)
• August 19 - Sudha Murthy, Indian social worker, author
• August 21 - Arthur Bremer, American convicted attempted assassin of George Wallace
• August 22 - ** Yuri Suri, Bollywood Actor

Scooter Libby, American conservative political adviser

• August 26
  • Carl Deuker, American author
  • Annette Badland, English actress
  • Benjamin Hendrickson, American actor (d. 2006)
• August 27 - Charles Fleischer, American actor, stand-up comedian and voice artist

September

• September 1
  • Mikhail Fradkov, Russian politician, Prime Minister of Russia (2004-2007)
  • Phil McGraw, American TV psychologist
• September 2
  • Rosanna DeSoto, American actress
  • Yuen Wah, Hong Kong actor
• September 7
  • Johann Friedrich, German-Australian engineer, con man
  • Julie Kavner, American actress
• September 8
  • Mark Gable, Australian singer, songwriter (The Choirboys)
  • Jim Mattis, American veteran, 26th United States Secretary of Defense
• September 10 - Joe Perry, American rock guitarist (Aerosmith)
• September 11 - Yigal Bashan, Israeli singer, composer (d. 2018)
• September 14
  • Paul Kossoff, British rock guitarist (Free) (d. 1976)
  • Masami Kuwashima, Japanese race car driver
• September 15 - Rajiv Malhotra, Indian-American author
• September 16
  • Henry Louis Gates, African-American literary critic
  • Loyd Grossman, American television presenter, chef
• September 17 - Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
• September 18 - Shabana Azmi, Indian actress
• September 19 - Joan Lunden, American television broadcaster, journalist (Good Morning America)
• September 21
  • Charles Clarke, British politician
  • Bill Murray, American actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
  • David Frawley, American author
• September 22 - Kirka Babitzin, Finnish singer (d. 2007)
• September 24
  • Feng Ting-kuo, Taiwanese politician (d. 2018)
  • Kristina Wayborn, Swedish actress
• September 27 - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Japanese actor
• September 28 - John Sayles, American director, screenwriter

October

• October 1
  • Boris Morukov, Russian astronaut (d. 2015)
  • Randy Quaid, American actor, comedian (Parents)
• October 3
  • Pamela Hensley, American actress
  • Phyllis Nelson, American singer (d. 1998)
• October 5
  • Eddie Clarke, English guitarist (Motörhead) (d. 2018)
  • Jeff Conaway, American actor (Taxi) (d. 2011)
• October 7 - Jakaya Kikwete, 4th President of Tanzania
• October 9
  • Everett Peck, American illustrator, comics artist, cartoonist and animator
  • Jody Williams, American teacher, aid worker and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
• October 10 - Nora Roberts, American novelist
• October 12
  • Edward Bloor, American novelist
  • Kaga Takeshi, Japanese actor
  • Pilar Pilapil, Filipina actress
• October 14 - Joey Travolta, American actor
• October 16
  • Cecil Bothwell. American atheist writer, politician
  • Angry Grandpa. American internet personality (d. 2017)
• October 17
  • Dean Shek, Hong Kong actor
  • Howard Rollins, African-American actor (d. 1996)
• October 18 - Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright (d. 2006)
• October 19 - Bishop Bill Ray, 10th Bishop of North Queensland
• October 20 - Tom Petty, American rock singer (d. 2017)
• October 22
  • Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado
  • Donald Ramotar, 8th President of Guyana
  • Patricia Parris, American actress and voice actress
• October 25
  • Walter Kwok, Hong Kong entrepreneur (d. 2018)
  • Chris Norman, English singer (Smokie)
  • Mark L. Taylor, American actress and voice actress
• October 28
  • Annette Humpe, German singer (Ideal, Ich + Ich)
  • Sihem Bensedrine, Tunisian human rights activist
• October 29
  • Rino Gaetano, Italian musician and singer-songwriter (d. 1981)
  • Abdullah Gül, 11th President of Turkey
• October 30 - Louise DuArt, American comedian, impersonator
• October 31
  • John Candy, Canadian comedian, actor (Second City Television) (d. 1994)
  • Jane Pauley, American television broadcaster, journalist (The Today Show)

November

• November 1
  • Robert B. Laughlin, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • Dan Peek, American musician (America) (d. 2011)
• November 3 - Massimo Mongai, Italian author
• November 4 - Charles Frazier, American novelist
• November 6 - Kenny Marks, American Christian musician
• November 9 - Maravillas Rojo, Catalan politician
• November 10
  • Debra Hill, American producer (d. 2005)
  • Bob Orton, Jr., American professional wrestler
• November 12 - Barbara Fairchild, American country, gospel singer
• November 13 - Mary Lou Metzger, American singer, dancer
• November 16 - David Leisure, American actor
• November 17 - Roland Matthes, German swimmer
• November 21
  • Alberto Juantorena, Cuban athlete
  • David Williams, American singer, songwriter, musician and producer (d. 2009)
• November 22
  • Jim Lang, American composer
  • Lyman Bostock, American baseball player (d. 1978)
• November 23
  • Raza Murad, Indian actor
  • Chuck Schumer, American politician
• November 24 - Stanley Livingston, American actor
• November 28
  • Ed Harris, American actor, film director (The Right Stuff)
  • Russell Alan Hulse, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • Kenneth Fisher, American financial manager, journalist
• November 29 - Olavi Mäenpää, Finnish politician (d. 2018)
• November 30 - Danny Sanderson, Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist

December

• December 1
  • Manju Bansal, Indian molecular biologist
  • Themba Dlamini, 9th Prime Minister of Swaziland
  • Richard Keith (b. Keith Thibodeaux), American child actor
• December 2
  • Amin Saikal, Australian academic professor
  • Benjamin Stora, French historian
  • Paul Watson, Canadian-American founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
• December 5 - Camarón de la Isla, Spanish singer (d. 1992)
• December 7 - Hasanaga Sadigov, Azerbaijani ashik musician (d. 2018)
• December 8
  • Dan Hartman, American pop singer, songwriter and record producer (d. 1994)
  • Wah Wah Watson, American guitarist (d. 2018)
• December 9 - Joan Armatrading, St. Kitts-born English singer, songwriter
• December 10
  • Tom Towles, American actor (d. 2015)
  • Kellye Nakahara, American actress (M*A*S*H)
• December 12
  • Darleen Carr, American actress
  • Heiner Flassbeck, German economist, professor, publicist, political counselor and State secretary
  • Rajinikanth, Indian actor
• December 13 - Wendie Malick, American actress
• December 15 - Sylvester James Gates, American theoretical physicist
• December 16 - Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (d. 2006)
• December 17 - Laurence F. Johnson, American futurist, educator
• December 18 - Leonard Maltin, American film critic
• December 19 - Manny Trillo, Venezuelan-born American baseball player
• December 22 - María Antonieta de las Nieves, Mexican actress, comedian, and singer (La Chilindrina in El Chavo del Ocho)
• December 23
  • Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer, manager
  • Michael C. Burgess, American politician
• December 25 - Ed Hochuli, American football official
• December 28 - Alex Chilton, American rock musician (The Box Tops) (d. 2010)
• December 29 - Jon Polito, American actor (d. 2016)
• December 30 - Safiya Henderson-Holmes, African-American poet (d. 2001)

Date unknown

• Koibla Djimasta, 7th Prime Minister of Chad (d. 2007)
• Joseph Yodoyman, 4th Prime Minister of Chad (d. 1993)

Deaths

January

• January 1 - William A. Griffin, American Roman Catholic prelate and reverend (b. 1885)
• January 2
  • Emil Jannings, Swiss-born German actor (b. 1884)
  • Anthony Prusinski, American politician (b. 1901)
  • Theophrastos Sakellaridis, Greek composer, conductor (b. 1883)
• January 3 - Tess Gardella, Italian-born American actress, dancer (b. 1894)
• January 7
  • Monty Banks, Italian comedian, director (b. 1897)
  • Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao, Spanish politician, writer, painter and doctor (b. 1886)
  • Joseph, Duke of Parma (b. 1875)
• January 8 - Joseph Schumpeter, Czech economist, political scientist (b. 1883)
• January 11 - James A. Colescott, American Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (b. 1897)
• January 12 - John M. Stahl, American film director, producer (b. 1886)
• January 13 - Gino Frittelli, Italian painter (b. 1879)
• January 14 - Ieu Koeus, 9th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1905)
• January 15
  • Henry H. Arnold, American five-star general (b. 1886)
  • Petre Dumitrescu, Romanian general (b. 1882)
• January 16 - Ali Moustafa Mosharafa, Egyptian physicist (b. 1898)
• January 17 - Seiichi Hatano, Japanese philosopher (b. 1877)
• January 18 - Horace Rice, Australian tennis player (b. 1872)
• January 20 - Ray Duggan, Australian-born English speedway rider (b. 1913)
• January 21 - George Orwell, British author (b. 1903)
• January 22 - Alan Hale Sr., American actor (b. 1892)
• January 23 - Vasil Kolarov, Bulgarian Communist politician, former provisional head of State and 33rd Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1877)
• January 29 - Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh of Kuwait (b. 1885)

February

• February 3
  • Sir Lionel Cripps, Rhodesian politician (b. 1863)
  • Karl Seitz, Austrian politician, 1st President of Austria (b. 1869)
• February 6 - Georges Imbert, Alsatian chemist (b. 1884)
• February 7
  • D. K. Broster, British historical novelist (b. 1877)
  • Masao Inoue, Japanese actor, director (b. 1881)
  • William Murphy, American Roman Catholic clergyman, bishop and reverend (b. 1885)
• February 9
  • Abdul Qadir, Indian editor (b. 1874)
  • Franz Justus Rarkowski, German Roman Catholic bishop and reverend (b. 1873)
  • Ted Theodore, Australian politician, Premier of Queensland (b. 1884)
• February 10 - Marcel Mauss, French sociologist (b. 1872)
• February 11 - Kiki Cuyler, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1898)
• February 12 - Bernard Meninsky, Ukrainian-born British artist, painter, draughtsman and teacher (b. 1891)
• February 13 - Rafael Sabatini, Italian writer (b. 1875)
• February 14
  • Cecilio Guzmán de Rojas, Bolivian painter (b. 1899)
  • Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist, radio engineer and father of radio astronomy (b. 1905)
• February 16
  • Johannes Hjelmslev, Danish mathematician (b. 1873)
  • Mile-a-Minute Murphy, American cyclist (b. 1870)
• February 21 - Gerhard Kowalewski, German mathematician (b. 1876)
• February 23 - Piotr ?mieta?ski, Polish executioner (b. 1899)
• February 25
  • Ignatius Arnoz, Czechoslovakian Roman Catholic prelate and reverend (b. 1885)
  • George Minot, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1885)
• February 26 - Harry Lauder, British entertainer (b. 1870)

March

• March 2 - Rosli Dhobi, famous Malay Sarawakian (b. 1932)
• March 4 - Anthony Holles, British actor (b. 1901)
• March 5
  • Sid Grauman, American theatre entrepreneur (b. 1895)
  • Edgar Lee Masters, American poet (b. 1868)
• March 6
  • Albert Lebrun, French politician, 15th President of France (b. 1871)
  • Harry Redfern, British architect (b. 1861)
• March 10 - Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902)
• March 11
  • Ralph Freeman, British engineer (b. 1880)
  • Heinrich Mann, German novelist (b. 1871)
  • Brock Pemberton, American theatrical producer (b. 1885)
• March 15
  • Alexander Kabiskoy, Soviet WWII heroine (b. 1920)
  • Carl Storck, 3rd President of the National Football League (b. 1892)
• March 18 - Väinö Kivilinna, Finnish teacher, activist and politician (b. 1875)
• March 19
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs, American author (Tarzan) (b. 1875)
  • Norman Haworth, British chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1883)
  • Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, 28th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1872)
• March 21 - Katherine Grey, American actress (b. 1873)
• March 22 - Emmanuel Mounier, French philosopher (b. 1905)
• March 24
  • James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (b. 1865)
  • Harold Laski, British political theorist, economist (b. 1893)
• March 25
  • Frank Buck, American animal collector (b. 1884)
  • Frances Micklethwait, British chemist (b. 1867)
• March 30
  • Léon Blum, French statesman, 2-time Prime Minister of France (b. 1872)
  • Joe Yule, British entertainer, father of Mickey Rooney (b. 1894)

April

• April 1 - F. O. Matthiessen, American historian, literary critic (b. 1902)
• April 2 - Recep Peker, Turkish officer, politician and 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1889)
• April 3 - Kurt Weill, German-born composer (b. 1900)
• April 5 - Charles Binaggio, American gangster (b. 1909)
• April 7 - Walter Huston, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1883)
• April 8 - Vaslav Nijinsky, Soviet ballet dancer, choreographer (b. 1889)
• April 10
  • Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish military officer, statesman and Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1876)
  • Alfred Fischer, German architect (b. 1881)
• April 11 - Bainbridge Colby, United States Secretary of State (b. 1869)
• April 13
  • Saleh al-Ali, Syrian revolt leader (b. 1884)
  • James Morrison, Canadian Roman Catholic bishop and reverend (b. 1861)
• April 16 - Henry J. Knauf, American politician (b. 1891)
• April 17 - W?adys?aw Filipkowski, Polish military commander (b. 1892)
• April 23
  • Gemma Bellincioni, Italian soprano (b. 1864)
  • Franciscus Janssens, Dutch Roman Catholic abbot and reverend (b. 1881)
• April 26 - G. Murray Hulbert, American politician (b. 1881)
• April 27
  • Hobart Cavanaugh, American character actor (b. 1886)
  • Karel Ko?eluh, Czech tennis player (b. 1895)
• April 30 - Francesco Jovine, Italian writer, author (b. 1902)

May

• May 1 - Lothrop Stoddard, American eugenicist (b. 1883)
• May 6 - Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes, Nicaraguan politician, 23rd President of Nicaragua (b. 1872)
• May 7 - Gavrilo V, Serbian Patriarch (b. 1881)
• May 9
  • Harry Stubbs, British-born American actor (b. 1874)
  • Esteban Terradas i Illa, Andorran mathematician, scientist and engineer (b. 1883)
• May 10 - Belle da Costa Greene, American librarian, bibliographer and archivist (b. 1883)
• May 11 - Cedric Holland, British admiral (b. 1889)
• May 12 - Harold Basil Christian, South African-Rhodesian horticulturalist (b. 1871)
• May 19
  • Giuseppe Garibaldi II, Italian soldier, patriot, revolutionary and grandson of Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi (b. 1879)
  • Giuseppina Suriano, Italian Roman Catholic nun and blessed (b. 1915)
• May 20 - John Gould Fletcher, American poet (b. 1886)
• May 22
  • Andrew McDonald, British Roman Catholic clergyman, bishop and reverend (b. 1871)
  • Alfonso Quiñónez Molina, 27th President of El Salvador (b. 1874)
• May 24
  • Isidore Ngei Ko Lat, Burmese catechist, Roman Catholic priest, martyr and blessed (killed in action) (b. 1918)
  • Peter Petrovich Troyanskii, Soviet educator and scholar (b. 1894)
  • Mario Vergara, Italian Roman Catholic priest, martyr and blessed (killed in action) (b. 1910)
  • Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, British field marshal (b. 1883)
• May 25 - Nicolae Ciuperc?, Romanian general (b. 1882)
• May 26 - Stanis?aw K?trzy?ski, Polish historian, diplomat (b. 1878)
• May 28 - Vicente Sotto, Filipino politician (b. 1877)

June

• June 3 - Ahmad Tajuddin, Sultan of Brunei (b. 1913)
• June 4
  • Carmen Baroja, Spanish writer, ethnologist (b. 1883)
  • George Cecil Ives, German-born British poet, writer, penal reformer and early gay rights campaigner (b. 1867)
  • Kazys Grinius, 3rd President of Lithuania (b. 1866)
• June 5 - Miklós Bánffy, Hungarian nobleman, politician and novelist (b. 1873)
• June 6 - William Wadsworth, American actor (b. 1874)
• June 9 - Denis Auguste Duchêne, French general (b. 1862)
• June 20 - Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, Japanese autobiographer, novelist (b. 1874)
• June 22 - Jane Cowl, American actress (b. 1883)
• June 24 - Darwan Singh Negi, Indian Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1881)
• June 26 - Antonina Nezhdanova, Soviet soprano (b. 1873)
• June 27
  • Závi? Kalandra, Czechoslovak historian, theorist (b. 1902)
  • Theophilus Pashkovsky, American Orthodox archbishop, metropolitan (b. 1874)
• June 28 - Archbishop Makarios II (b. 1870)
• June 29 - Melitta Bentz, German entrepreneur, who invented the coffee filter in 1908 (b. 1873)

July

• July 1 - Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect (b. 1873)
• July 5 - Salvatore Giuliano, Italian bandit (b. 1922)
• July 7 - Fats Navarro, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1923)
• July 8 - Helen Holmes, American actress (b. 1893)
• July 10 - Richard Maury, American naturalized Argentine engineer (b. 1882)
• July 11 - Buddy DeSylva, American songwriter (b. 1895)
• July 12 - Elsie de Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (b. 1865)
• July 17
  • Evangeline Booth, General of The Salvation Army (b. 1865)
  • Antonie Nedo?inská, Czechoslovakian actress (b. 1885)
• July 18 - Mignon Talbot, American paleontologist (b. 1869)
• July 21 - Rex Ingram, American director (b. 1892)
• July 22 - William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian political leader, 10th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874)
• July 27 - Marta Steinsvik, Norwegian author (b. 1877)
• July 28 - Kevin Budden, Australian amateur herpetologist (b. 1930)

August

• August 3
  • Pierre-Émile Côté, Canadian politician (b. 1887)
  • Kristian Laake, Norwegian general (b. 1875)
• August 6 - Francisco José Urrutia Olano, Colombian diplomat and jurist (b. 1870)
• August 8 - Nikolai Myaskovsky, Soviet composer (b. 1881)
• August 10 - Tadeusz Tomaszewski, 34th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1881)
• August 19
  • Black Elk, Wi?há?a Wak?á? (Medicine Man or Holy Man) of the Ogala Teton Lakota (Western Sioux) (b. 1863)
  • Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist, engineer (b. 1871)
• August 22 - Kirk Bryan, American geologist (b. 1888)
• August 23 - Frank Phillips, American oil executive (b. 1873)
• August 24
  • Arturo Alessandri, Chilean political figure, reformer and 2-time President of Chile (b. 1868)
  • Vasily Gordov, Soviet military officer (b. 1896)
• August 25 - Giuseppe Grassi, Italian politician (b. 1883)
• August 26
  • Giuseppe De Luca, Italian baritone (b. 1876)
  • Ransom E. Olds, American automotive pioneer (b. 1864)
• August 27 - Cesare Pavese, Italian poet, novelist (b. 1908)
• August 31 -- Pere Tarrés i Claret, Spanish Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1905)

September

• September 4
  • Max Davidson, German actor (b. 1875)
  • Pieter Franciscus Dierckx, Belgian painter (b. 1871)
• September 6 - Olaf Stapledon, British author, philosopher (b. 1886)
• September 10 - Raymond Sommer, American race car driver (b. 1906)
• September 11
  • Rudolph Palm, Curaçao-born composer (b. 1880)
  • Jan Smuts, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1870)
• September 13 - Sara Allgood, Irish actress (b. 1880)
• September 15
  • Maraimalai Adigal, Indian orator, writer (b. 1876)
  • Baldomero López, American hero of Korean War (b. 1925)
• September 16
  • Frederick Bennett, New Zealand Anglican bishop and reverend (b. 1871)
  • Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (b. 1881)
• September 21 - Edward Arthur Milne, British astrophysicist, mathematician (b. 1896)
• September 23
  • George Carlton, American actor (b. 1885)
  • Kenneth Muir, British soldier, posthumous winner of the Victoria Cross (b.1912)
• September 29 - Alfréd Meissner, Czechoslovak politician, Holocaust survivor (b. 1871)
• September 30 - Prince Hubertus of Prussia (b. 1909)

October

• October 1 - Mikhail Rodionov, Soviet statesman, Leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1907)
• October 2 - John F. Fitzgerald, American politician, Mayor of Boston (b. 1863)
• October 5 - Thomas Addis Emmet, American-born Jamaican Roman Catholic bishop and reverend (b. 1873)
• October 9 - Nicolai Hartmann, German philosopher (b. 1882)
• October 11 - Pauline Lord, American actress (b. 1890)
• October 13 - Ernest Haycox, American writer (b. 1899)
• October 14 - António Maria da Silva, Portuguese politician, interim and 3-time Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1872)
• October 18 - Giuseppe Borgatti, Italian tenor (b. 1871)
• October 19
  • Charles Ballantyne, Canadian politician (b. 1867)
  • Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet (b. 1892)
  • Viktor Strazhev, Soviet bibliographer, translator, poet and literary critic (b. 1879)
• October 20 - Henry L. Stimson, United States Secretary of State (b. 1867)
• October 23 - Al Jolson, American musician, actor (The Jazz Singer) (b. 1886)
• October 25 - Yi Kwang-su, Korean writer, activist (b. 1891)
• October 26 - Miguel Mariano Gómez, Cuban politician, 7th President of Cuba (b. 1889)
• October 29
  • Maurice Costello, American actor (b. 1877)
  • King Gustaf V of Sweden (b. 1858)
  • Lucien Martin, Canadian violinist, conductor and composer (b. 1908)
• October 30 - Raimundo Díaz Pacheco, Puerto Rican activist (b. 1906)
• October 31 - Giacomo Gorrini, Italian diplomat (b. 1859)

November

• November 2 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)
• November 3 - Kuniaki Koiso, Japanese general, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1880)
• November 4
  • Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1887)
  • Francisca Herrera Garrido, Spanish writer (b. 1869)
• November 8 - Bernice Herstein, American socialite (b. 1918)
• November 9 - Attilio Andreoli, Italian painter (b. 1877)
• November 11
  • Alexandros Diomidis, 152nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1875)
  • Lúcio Alberto Pinheiro dos Santos, Portuguese philosopher, teacher (b. 1889)
• November 12
  • Hryhorij Lakota, Soviet Eastern Catholic bishop and blessed (b. 1893)
  • Julia Marlowe, American stage actress (b. 1865)
• November 16 - Bob Smith, American doctor, physician and surgeon (b. 1879)
• November 17 - Virginia Fábregas, Mexican actress (b. December 17, 1871)^[15]
• November 23 - Abdul Hamid Karami, Lebanese political figure, religious leader and 16th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1890)
• November 25
  • Johannes V. Jensen, Danish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1873)
  • Gustaf John Ramstedt, Finnish-born Swedish linguist, diplomat (b. 1873)
• November 27 - T. Sathasiva Iyer, Ceylon Tamil scholar, Tamil language writer (b. 1882)
• November 28 - James Corbitt, British murderer (hanged) (b. 1913)
• November 29
  • Walter Beech, American pioneering aviator, aircraft manufacturer (b. 1891)
  • Ma Zhanshan, Chinese general (b. 1885)
• November 30 - Werner Haase, Hitler's personal physician (b. 1900)

December

• December 2
  • James Fenton, Australian politician (b. 1864)
  • Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist (b. 1917)
• December 4 - Jesse L. Brown, American aviator in the United States Navy (killed in action) (b. 1926)
• December 5 - Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru (b. 1872)
• December 11
  • Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1863)
  • Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer, computing pioneer (b. 1893)
• December 12
  • Luigi Biancheri, Italian admiral (b. 1891)
  • Peter Fraser, New Zealand political figure, 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand, leader of World War II (b. 1884)
• December 15 - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian political leader (b. 1875)
• December 20 - Enrico Mizzi, Maltese politician, 6th Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1885)
• December 23
  • Francisco Lomuto, Argentine pianist, composer (b. 1893)
  • Walton Walker, American general (b. 1889)
• December 25 - Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet, playwright (b. 1903)
• December 26 - Liane de Pougy, French vedette and dancer (b. 1869)
• December 27 - Max Beckmann, German painter (b. 1884)
• December 30 - Mihail Manoilescu, Romanian journalist, engineer, economist, politician and memoirist (b. 1891)
• December 31 - Karl Renner, Austrian Social Democrat politician, 4th President of Austria (b. 1870)

Date unknown

• Laura Anning Bell, British artist (b. 1867)

Nobel Prizes

• Physics - Cecil Frank Powell
• Chemistry - Otto Paul Hermann Diels, Kurt Alder
• Medicine - Edward Calvin Kendall, Tadeusz Reichstein, Philip Showalter Hench
• Literature - Earl (Bertrand Arthur William) Russell
• Peace - Ralph Bunche

References