Historical Figures Born on April 16

Louis the Pious (778-840 AD)

and the Debonaire), Holy Roman Emperor (814-840), born in Cassinogilum, Aquitaine

1319 John II, the Good, King of France (1350-64), born in Le Mans, France (d. 1364)
1495 Petrus Apianus [Peter Apian], German mathematician, astronomer and cartographer, born in Leisnig, Saxony (d. 1552)
1628 Cornelis Evertsen the Younger, Dutch vice admiral of Zealand, born in Flushing, Netherlands (d. 1679)
1635 Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1681)
1646 Jules Hardouin Mansart, French architect, born in Paris (d. 1708)
1648 John Luyken, Dutch poet and etcher (Duytse Lyre), born in Amsterdam (d. 1712)
1660 Hans Sloane, Irish physician, naturalist and collector (provided foundation of the British Museum), born in Killyleagh, Ulster, Ireland (d. 1753)
1661 Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and statesman, born in Horton, Northamptonshire, England (d. 1715)
1682 John Hadley, English mathematician and inventor (octant), born in Bloomsbury, London (d. 1744)
1693 Anne Sophie Reventlow, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1721-30), born in Clausholm Castle, Denmark (d. 1743)
1728 Joseph Black, Scottish chemist and physicist known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat and carbon dioxide, born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1799)
1738 Henry Clinton, British army officer and politician, born in Newfoundland, British Canada (d. 1795)
1755 Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, French painter, born in Paris (d. 1842)
1786 John Franklin, English rear admiral and explorer (Arctic), born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England (d. 1847)
1800 George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, British army officer (Charge of the Light Brigade), born in London, England (d. 1888)
1800 William Chambers, Scottish author and publisher (Basis of Communication & Coding), born in Peebles, Scotland (d. 1883)
1808 Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1864)
1816 Edward Johnson, American Major General (Confederate Army), born in Midlothian, Virginia (d. 1873)
1820 Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, born in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck (d. 1885)
1821 Ford Madox Brown, British painter, born in Calais, France (d. 1893)
1823 Ferdinand Eisenstein, German mathematician (number theory), born in Berlin, Prussia (d. 1852)
1823 Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart [Esther Pariseau], Canadian religious leader (US capitol), born in Saint-Elzéar, Quebec, Canada (d. 1902)
1823 Orlando Bolivar Wilcox, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1907)
1827 Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet, born in Quebec City, Canada (d. 1879)
1844 Anatole France [Jacques Anatole Thibault], French writer (Thaïs, Wickerwork Woman, Nobel 1921), born in Paris (d. 1924)
1847 Hans Auer, Swiss-Austrian architect, born in Wädenswil, Switerland (d. 1906)
1848 Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian social reformer from Andhra Pradesh, born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India (d. 1919)
1850 Herbert Baxter Adams, American historian (American Historical Association), born in Shutesbury, Massachusetts (d. 1901)
1851 Ernst Josephson, Swedish painter, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1906)
1859 Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, philanthropist (d. 1924)
1865 Harry Chauvel, Australian Imperial Force senior officer, born in Tabulam, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1945)
1867 José de Diego, Puerto Rican patriot and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and the U.S., born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (d. 1918)

Wilbur Wright (1867-1912)

American aviator (Wright Brothers), born in Millville, Indiana

1871 John Millington Synge, Irish dramatist and poet (Riders to the Sea), born in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, Ireland (d. 1909)
1881 Edward Frederick Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax and British ambassador to US (1940-46), born in Powderham Castle, Devon, England (d. 1959)
1886 Ernst Thälmann, German communist presidential candidate, born in Hamburg, German Empire (d. 1944)
1895 Robert Dean Frisbie, American writer of travel literature (Life on Puka Puka), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1948)
1897 John Bagot Glubb, British commandant and writer (A soldier with the Arabs), born in Preston, Lancashire, England (d. 1986)
1899 Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist, born in Bergaliszki (d. 1988)
1900 Polly Adler, Russian bordello proprieter and author (House is not a Home), born in Yanow, Russia (d. 1962)
1904 Clifford P. Case, American lawyer and politician, U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, born in Franklin Park, New Jersey (d. 1982)
1905 Frits Philips, Dutch engineer and CEO (Philips), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands (d. 2005)
1905 John Lee-Barber, British Royal Navy officer (d. 1995)
1906 Cobina W "Coby" Molenaar, Dutch peace activist (d. 1994)
1906 Marion Lloyd Vince, American fencer (National champion 1928, 31), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1969)
1907 August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal, born in Steyr, Austria (d. 1947)
1907 Joseph-Armand Bombardier, French Canadian inventor and businessman (Bombardier) (d. 1964)
1908 Ellis Marsalis Sr., American businessman, hotel operator, and civil rights activist, born in Summit, Mississippi (d. 2004)
1909 Herman Uyttersprot, Flemish literature historian, born in Denderbelle (d. 1967)
1911 Guy Burgess, English-born Soviet spy, born in Devonport, England (d. 1963)
1911 William T. Stearn, British botanist, born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (d. 2001)
1912 Garth Williams, American illustrator (Charlotte's Web), born in New York City (d. 1996)
1912 John Halas, Hungarian-American cartoonist and animator (Animal Farm), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1995)
1913 Charles McLaren, 3rd Baron Aberconway, British industrialist and CEO (John Brown & Co) (d. 2003)
1915 Dany Tuijnman, Dutch politician (Minister of Transport and Water Management), born in Middelburg, Netherlands (d. 1992)
1917 Charlotte Salomon, German-Jewish artist, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1943)
1919 Merce Cunningham, American choreographer (Acrobat in Every Soul is a Circus), born in Centralia, Washington (d. 2009)
1919 Tom Willmore, English geometer, born in Gillingham, England (d. 2005)
1920 John William Farr, American bank robber (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Detroit, Michigan (likely deceased)
1920 Kees Scherer, Dutch photographer (World Press Photo), born in Amsterdam (d. 1993)
1922 Christopher Samuel Youd, British sci-fi author (Tripods Trilogy), born in Huyton, Lancashire, England (d. 2012)
1922 Kingsley Amis, English novelist (Lucky Jim; James Bond Dossier), born in London, England (d. 1995)
1922 Leo Tindemans, Belgian statesman, Prime Minister of Belgium (1974-78), born in Zwijndrecht, Belgium (d. 2014)
1923 Stewart Adams, English pharmacologist (developed Ibuprofen), born in Byfield, England (d. 2019) [1]
1924 Geoffrey Johnson Smith, Scottish Conservative politician (1959-2001), born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 2010)
1924 John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and chairman of ICI (1982-87), born in Hackney, London (d. 2008)
1926 Barbara Tizard, British educator and author, born in London (d. 2015)

Benedict XVI (1927-2022)

German Catholic Pope (2005-13), born in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany [1]

1931 Piet de Visser, Dutch politician (PvdA), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2012)
1934 Geoffrey Owen, British editor (Financial Times)
1935 Sarah Kirsch, German poet, born in Limlingerode, Prussian Saxony (d. 2013)
1938 Gordon Wilson, Scottish politician (Leader of the Scottish National Party), born in Govan, Glasgow (d. 2017)
1939 Margaretha de Boer, Dutch politician (PvdA), born in Amsterdam
1939 Reinier Lucassen, Dutch painter (Kuifje contra James Union), born in Amsterdam
1940 Benoît Bouchard, French Canadian public official and former politician, born in Roberval, Quebec

Margrethe II (84 years old)

1940 Queen of Denmark (1972-2023), born in Copenhagen, Denmark

1940 Paul Cox, Dutch-born Australian director (Lonely Hearts), born in Venlo, the Netherlands (d. 2016)
1940 Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys, British banker and deputy CEO (Barclays de Zoete Wedd), born in England
1941 Cliff Stearns, American businessman and politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida), born in Washington, D.C.
1943 Ewald Vanvugt, Dutch author (Kiss of Delight, Seed of Love), born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
1945 Tom Allen, American politician (Rep (D) Maine 1997-2009), born in Portland, Maine
1946 Margot Adler, American journalist, born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2014)
1948 Lynne Franks, British public relations consultant, born in London
1951 Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian writer and photographer, born in Timişoara, Romania
1951 Pierre Toutain-Dorbec, French photographer, born in Orbec, Normandy, France
1953 J. Neil Schulman, American writer (Alongside Night), born in Forest Hills, New York
1955 Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (2020-), born in Castle Betzdorf, Betzdorf, Luxembourg
1956 David M. Brown, U.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, born in Arlington, Virginia (d. 2003)
1956 Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier, born in Les Diablerets, Vaud, Switzerland
1959 Carlos Moreno, French-Colombian urbanist (15-Minute City), born in Tunja, Colombia
1959 Scott McKinsey, American television director, born in California
1960 Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician and Congressman, born in Lantawan, Basilan, Philippines (d. 2007)
1962 Antony Blinken, American government official, US Secretary of State (2021-), born in Yonkers, New York
1963 John Delaney, American politician (Rep-D-Maryland 2013-19), born in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
1971 Frederik Nilsson, IHL forward (Team Sweden, KC (IHL)), born in Stockholm, Sweden
1972 Tracey K. Smith, American poet (Pulitzer prize 2011, US Poet Laureate 2017-19), born in Falmouth, Massachusetts
1976 Dan Kellner, American fencer, born in Livingston, New Jersey
1978 Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer, born in Melbourne, Australia
1982 Barry Jones, Scottish magician, born in Aberdeen, Scotland
1984 Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, American author, born in Silver Spring, Maryland
1985 Mark Baker, Welsh author and historian
1992 Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, Prince of Luxembourg, born in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
2008 Princess Eléonore of Belgium, Belgian princess, born in Anderlecht, Belgium