2004 in the United States

Events from the year 2004 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

President: George W. Bush
President of the United States|Vice President]: Dick Cheney
Chief Justice: William Rehnquist
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Dennis Hastert
Senate Majority Leader: Bill Frist
Congress: 108th

Events

January

January 4 – NASA's MER-A lands on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
January 11
* The Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles] defeat the Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers] in the Divisional Round of the 2003–04 [NFL playoffs] at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as "4th and 26".
* Drake & Josh premieres on Nickelodeon.
January 19
* U.S. Senator John Kerry wins the Iowa Democratic caucus. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean's concession speech ends with a [Dean scream|lively but controversial scream].
* British children's television series Boohbah begins its first ever television premiere in the U.S. on PBS KIDS.
January 20 – 2004 [State of the Union Address|State of the Union Address].
January 24 – NASA's MER-B lands on Mars at 05:05 UTC.
January 25 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Royal Rumble pay-per-view event from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
January 28 – At a hearing of the 9/11 Commission, it is revealed that, in the September 11 attacks, terrorists used Mace, a brand of tear gas or pepper spray, in overpowering the flight crew of American Airlines Flight 11.

February

February 1 – The New England Patriots season|New England Patriots] win Super Bowl XXXVIII by defeating the Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers] 32–29 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The halftime show becomes one of the most halftime show controversy|controversial] events in television history, as Janet Jackson's breast is exposed to an audience of 143.6 million viewers.
February 3 – The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
February 4 – Mark Zuckerberg launches "TheFacebook", later renamed to Facebook, a social networking website for Harvard University students.
February 9 – Disappearance of Maura Murray: A 21-year-old nursing student disappears this evening after a car crash on Route 112 near Woodsville, New Hampshire, in Haverhill. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
February 12 – Same sex marriage in the United States: The City and County of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an act of civil disobedience.
February 14 – Jetix is introduced on Toon Disney and ABC Family, making it the first trade-name to be introduced as an anime-based block.
February 15 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its No Way Out pay-per-view event from the Cow Palace in Daly City, California.
February 26 – The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.
February 29 – The 76th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The [Return of the King] winning a record-tying 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film also breaks the record tied by 1958's Gigi and 1987's The Last Emperor for the largest sweep for a single film in Oscar history. The telecast garners nearly 43.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched broadcast since 2000.

March

March 2
* NASA announces that the Mars rover MER-B has confirmed that its landing area was once drenched in water.
* John Kerry effectively clinches the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nomination by winning nine out of 10 "Super Tuesday" primaries and caucuses.
March 12 – Marcus Wesson is arrested in Fresno, California, after killing nine family members. Wesson had built a cult around his family and had molested and "married" several of his daughters. He was sentenced to death in 2005.
March 14 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
March 31 – Four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq.

April

April 2 – Walt Disney Pictures' 45th feature film, Home on the Range, is released to mixed reviews and middling box office numbers. It is the studio's last traditionally-animated film until 2009's The Princess and the Frog.
April 22 – Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who enlisted in the US Army, is killed by friendly fire in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. military does not reveal this to the public until weeks later, after initially saying he was killed by enemy combatants.
April 28 – Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse is revealed on the television show 60 Minutes II.
April 29 – The last Oldsmobile rolls off of the assembly line.

May

May – Emergence of cicada Brood X begins in the eastern United States.
May 4 – A WNBC helicopter crashes in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. This event is covered by rival station WABC-TV.
May 6 – The final episode of Friends airs on NBC, drawing an estimated 66 million viewers in North America. Advertisers pay $2 million for 30 second ads.
May 8 – Would-be "Saudi Princess" Antoinette Millard surfaces in New York City, claiming that muggers had stolen jewels worth of $262,000 from her.
May 12 – An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaeda on an Internet-distributed video. They state it is retaliation for the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.
May 13 – The final episode of Frasier airs on NBC. The episode was viewed by 33.7 million people, being the 11th most-watched series finale and the 7th most watched from NBC.
May 14 – Lynn Turner is convicted of the 1995 murder of her husband Glenn Turner by poisoning him with anti-freeze. She is also accused of the murder of her second husband, Randy Thompson.
May 16 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Judgment Day (2004)|Judgment Day] pay-per-view event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
May 17 – Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Court ruling in the case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
May 26
* Fantasia Barrino wins season 3 of American Idol.
* Terry Nichols is convicted by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
May 29 – Dedication of the National World War II Memorial takes place in Washington, D.C.

June

June 3 – Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet tenders his resignation, citing "personal reasons". John E. McLaughlin, CIA Deputy Director, becomes the acting director until a permanent director is chosen and confirmed by Congress.
June 4 – Marvin Heemeyer destroys many local buildings and vehicles with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado. He takes away his life after the rampage.
June 5 – Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, Death and [state funeral of Ronald Reagan|dies at his home] in Bel-Air, [Los Angeles, California|Bel-Air], California, at the age of 93. A six-day state funeral follows after his death.
June 8–9 – The G8 Summit takes place on Sea Island, in Georgia, United States.
June 11
* The national funeral service for Ronald Reagan is held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
* Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, exactly three years after his co-defendant, Timothy McVeigh, was executed for his role in the bombing.
June 13 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Bad Blood (2004)|Bad Blood] pay-per-view event from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
June 15 – The Detroit Pistons season|Detroit Pistons] defeat the Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers] in the 2004 NBA Finals in five games to win their third NBA championship.
June 16 – The 9/11 Commission issues an initial report of its findings.
June 21 – In Mojave, California, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
June 27 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its The Great American Bash pay-per-view event from the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia.
June 28
* The U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq transfers sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.
* Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains collide in a rural area outside of San Antonio, Texas; 40 cars are derailed, including one chlorine car. Three people die, another 50 people are hospitalized because of exposure to the gas.
June 30 – Spider-Man 2 is released in theaters.

July

July 4 – A symbolic cornerstone is laid for the re-construction of One World Trade Center in New York City.
July 11 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Vengeance pay-per-view event from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
July 25 – Lance Armstrong wins a record 6th consecutive Tour de France cycling title.
July 26–29 – The Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, nominates John Kerry for U.S. president and John Edwards for vice president. Future President Barack Obama delivers the keynote address.
July 31 – "The Last Dispatch" concert is played as a reunion concert with the band Dispatch on the Hatch Shell in Boston; 110,000 people attend, making it the single largest gathering in independent music industry history.

August

August 3
* The Statue of Liberty reopens after security improvements.
* NASA's MESSENGER is launched.
August 12 – New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announces that he is "a gay American" and will resign effective November 15, 2004.
August 13 – Hurricane Charley kills 27 people in Florida, after killing four in Cuba and one in Jamaica. Charley makes landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley is the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
August 13–29 – The United States compete at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and win 36 gold, 39 silver, and 27 bronze medals.
August 19 – Google becomes a publicly traded company via initial public offering.
August 29 – Around 200,000 protesters demonstrate in New York City against President George W. Bush and his government, ahead of the Republican National Convention.
August 30–September 2 – U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are re-nominated at the Republican National Convention in New York City.
August – Shadowville Productions business is founded in Brooklyn, New York.

September

September 3 – Hurricane Frances makes landfall in Florida. After killing two people in the Bahamas, Hurricane Frances kills 10 people in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
September 4 - Thomas & Friends comes to PBS KIDS as a stand-alone program with Michael Brandon taking over as the narrator.
September 8 – In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems.
September 12 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Unforgiven pay-per-view event from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
September 13 – The U.S. Federal Assault Weapons Ban expires.
September 16 – Hurricane Ivan strikes Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 in Alabama and Florida, becoming the third-costliest hurricane in American history at the time.
September 23
*Tropical Storm Ivan, having come around and re-formed in the Gulf of Mexico, makes its final landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, to little effect. In total, the storm kills 92 people.
* Mount St. Helens becomes active again.
September 24 – Major League Baseball announces that the Montreal Expos will move to Washington, D.C., in 2005.
September 25 – Hurricane Jeanne makes landfall near Port Saint Lucie, Florida, near the location Hurricane Frances hit two weeks earlier. Jeanne kills over 3,030, mostly in Haiti.
September 28 – A redesigned $50 bill is released, containing many of the same security features as its recently released $20 counterpart.
September 29 – In Mojave, California, the first Ansari X-Prize flight takes place of SpaceShipOne, which is competing with a number of spacecraft and goes on to win the prize on October 4.
September 30 – First debate of the 2004 United States presidential election.

October

October 3 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its No Mercy pay-per-view event from the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
October 5 – Vice presidential debate between candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
October 8 – Second presidential debate.
October 11 - PBS Kids debuts a programming block targeted at children aged 6–10 entitled PBS Kids Go!, with new shows Maya & Miguel and an Arthur spinoff, Postcards from Buster, debuting on this day with Cyberchase and Arthur moving to PBS Kids Go! from PBS Kids.
October 13 – Third presidential debate.
October 16 – The New York Yankees season|New York Yankees] defeat the Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox] by a score of 19–8 in Game 3 of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series. The game, which pushes the Yankees to a 3–0 series lead, sets a record for longest nine-inning major league game. The Red Sox, however, rally to win the series in seven games.
October 18 - Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley Starling founds Fandom, Inc.
October 19 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view event from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
October 20
*Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Missouri, killing 13 people and injuring two.
*The 2004 [Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox] defeat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series after being down 3–0 in the series.
October 25 – Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
October 27 – The Boston Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in four games to win the World Series for the first time since 1918, breaking the Curse of the Bambino.
October 29 – 2004 [Osama bin Laden video|A videotape] of Osama bin Laden speaking airs on Arabic television, in which he threatens terrorist attacks on the United States and taunts President George W. Bush over the September 11 terrorist attacks.

November

November 2
* The 2004 United States presidential election is held. The United States re-elects George W. Bush of the Republican Party to a second term as President of the United States, defeating John Kerry.
* 11 American states ban gay marriage.
November 5 – Pixar Animation Studios' sixth feature film, The Incredibles, is released in theaters.
November 7 – Second Battle of Fallujah: U.S. Forces launch a major assault on the Iraqi town of Fallujah, in an effort to rid the area of insurgents before the Iraqi elections in January.
November 14
* World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Survivor Series pay-per-view event from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
* United States Secretary of State Colin Powell submits his resignation. He is replaced by Condoleezza Rice after her confirmation by the United States Congress.
November 16 – NASA's hypersonic Scramjet breaks a record by reaching a velocity of about 7,000 mph in an unmanned experimental flight. It obtains a speed of Mach 9.6, almost 10 times the speed of sound.
November 19
* Nickelodeon's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, based on the cartoon of the same name is released, earning $9,559,752 on its opening day, and then $85,417,988 on the weekend alone only behind National Treasure.
* The NBA's Indiana Pacers season|Indiana Pacers] and Detroit Pistons engage in a brawl that involves fans and players after the game is called with 45.9 seconds left in the game. The incident gets Pacer Ron Artest suspended for the remainder of the season.
November 21
* The Nintendo DS is released in the United States.
November 30
* John Green and Charlie Haddad, who were involved in the Pacers-Pistons brawl on November 19, are banned from attending Pistons home games for life.
* Ken Jennings loses to Nancy Zerg, ending his 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy!.

December

December 2 – Brian Williams replaces Tom Brokaw as weeknight anchor for NBC Nightly News.
December 3 – The Colombian government extradites Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world, arrested in 1995 and 2003, to the United States.
December 6 – Terrorists attack the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing several people.
December 8
* The biggest Chinese PC producer Lenovo announces its plan to purchase IBM's global PC business, making it the world's third largest PC producer after Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
* Former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott is murdered on stage by gunman Nathan Gale in Columbus, Ohio. Gale kills three others before being shot dead by police.
December 12 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Armageddon pay-per-view event from the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.
December 16 – Twenty-three-year-old pregnant woman Bobbie Jo Stinnett is found murdered in her home in Skidmore, Missouri. Her unborn baby has been cut out of her womb and is missing.
December 21 – Iraqi insurgents attack a U.S. military base in the city of Mosul, killing 22 people.
December 23 – Second Battle of Fallujah: US-UK-Iraqi forces defeat the remaining Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah.
December 26
* Thirty-five Americans are among the Countries affected by the 2004 [Indian Ocean earthquake|victims] of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in across the region of South and Southeast Asia. There were fatalities in 14 countries, including India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
* U.S. President George W. Bush issues a statement expressing his condolences to those who lost loved ones during the tsunami.
December 29 – U.S. President George W. Bush speaks out publicly about the deaths caused by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Indian Ocean and answers questions at the Prairie Chapel Ranch.
December 31
* U.S. President George W. Bush announces his committing of $350 million to support relief efforts for the "disaster around the Indian Ocean".
* Simón Trinidad, high-profile FARC leader, is extradited to the United States.

Ongoing

War in [Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]
Iraq War

Undated

"55% of adult internet users have broadband at home or work."

Births

January

January 7
* Cody Baker, soccer player
* Sofia Wylie, actress and dancer
January 10
* Kaitlyn Maher, singer and actress
* Bryce Wettstein, skateboarder
January 13 - Jack Brunault, actor
January 14 - Paul Ji, pianist
January 15
* Grace VanderWaal, singer and songwriter
January 22
* Tyler Armstrong, mountain climber
* Leo Torres, soccer player
January 25 – Rohan Chand, actor
January 26
* Evy Leibfarth, slalom canoeist
* Robby Novak, media personality
January 27 - Rohan Chand, actor
January 28
* Emoni Bates, basketball player
* Dior Johnson, basketball player

February

February 1 – Ashley Gerasimovich, actress
February 3 - Gia Pergolini, Paralympic swimmer
February 8 – Max Andrews, soccer player
February 10 - CJ Fodrey, soccer player
February 12 - Lauren Lee, taekwondo practitioner
February 13 - Yekeson Subah, soccer player
February 14 – Austin Brummett, soccer player
February 17 – Amari Bailey, basketball player
February 18 – Kylie Rogers, actress
February 25 - Britton Fischer, soccer player
February 26 – The Hanselman sextuplets, notable multiple birth
February 27 - Owen Walz, soccer player
February 29 - Lydia Jacoby, swimmer

March

March 1 – Izabella Alvarez, actress
March 3 – Chris Brady, soccer player
March 4 - Efrain Morales, soccer player
March 7 – Ciena Alipio, gymnast
March 8 – Wyatt Borso, soccer player
March 9
* John Cortez, soccer player
March 12 - Audrey Shin, figure skater
March 13
* Ozzie Cisneros, soccer player
* Coco Gauff, tennis player
March 20 - Christopher Jaime, soccer player
March 21 - Forrest Wheeler, actor
March 23 - Asher Hong, artistic gymnast
March 25 - Jenna Hutchins, long-distance runner
March 27 - Quinn Sullivan, soccer player

April

April 7 - Brandan Craig, soccer player
April 15 - Christian Torres, soccer player
April 23 - Fred Richard, artistic gymnast
April 26 - Kobi Henry, soccer player
April 28
* Noah Allen, soccer player
* Tony Leone, soccer player

May

May 1 - Charli D'Amelio, social media personality
May 2 - Anastasia Pagonis, Paralympic swimmer
May 3 - Nare Avetian, soccer player
May 5
*Jenna Davis, actress
*Olivia Greaves, gymnast
May 13 - Oliver Bell, actor
May 15 - Gabriel Slonina, soccer player
May 16 - Salvador Ramos, mass murderer
May 17 - Victoria Lee, mixed martial artist
May 21 - Jeff Dewsnup, soccer player
May 22 - Peyton Elizabeth Lee, actress
May 27 - Allan Rodriguez, soccer player

June

June 1 - Ixhelt González, wheelchair basketball player
June 4
* Sammy Smith, stock car racing driver
* Mackenzie Ziegler, singer, dancer, and actress
June 8 – Francesca Capaldi, actress
June 10 – Gayle, singer
June 15 – Sterling Jerins, actress
June 23 - Ashley Sessa, indoor and field hockey player
June 25 - Madison Reyes, actress and singer
June 26 - Mikey Williams, basketball player
June 30 – Claire Curzan, swimmer

Deaths

January

January 1 – Elma Lewis, arts educator
January 2 – Lynn Cartwright, actress
January 3 – David Lipschultz, journalist
January 5 – Tug McGraw, baseball player
January 6 – Francesco Scavullo, photographer
January 8 – John A. Gambling, radio host
January 9 – Yinka Dare, basketball player
– Spalding Gray, actor and screenwriter
January 12 – Randy VanWarmer, singer-songwriter
January 13
* Phillip Crosby, American singer
* Mike Goliat, American baseball player
January 14
* Uta Hagen, American actress
* Ron O'Neal, American actor, director, and screenwriter
January 17
* Carlton Sickles, American lawyer and politician
* Ray Stark, American film producer
* Noble Willingham, American actor
January 19 – Harry E. Claiborne, lawyer and judge
January 22 – Ann Miller, American dancer and actress
January 23 – Bob Keeshan, actor, clown and television producer
January 27 – Jack Paar, comedian and television host
January 28
* Lloyd M. Bucher, U.S. Naval Officer
* Joe Viterelli, American actor
January 29 – Ed Sciaky, Philadelphia broadcaster and disk jockey.
January 30 – Scott Walker, professional boxer

February

February 3
* Jason Raize, actor and activist
* Cornelius Bumpus, jazz musician
February 4 – Johnny Leartice Robinson, murderer
February 5 – Thomas Hinman Moorer, navy admiral
February 10 – Paul Ilyinsky, politician
February 11 – Tony Pope, voice actor
February 13 – Ted Tappe, baseball player
February 15 – Jan Miner, actress
February 16 – Doris Troy, singer
February 23 – Carl Anderson, singer and actor
February 22 – Andy Seminick, baseball player, coach and manager
February 24
* Ernest Burke, baseball player
* John Randolph, actor
February 27 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and editor
February 28 – Daniel J. Boorstin, historian and Librarian of Congress

March

March 2
* Mercedes McCambridge, American actress
* Marge Schott, American Major League Baseball owner
March 3 – Cecily Adams, American actress
March 6
* Frances Dee, American actress
* Hercules, American professional wrestler
March 7 – Paul Winfield, American actor
March 8
* Tichi Wilkerson Kassel, American film personality and publisher
* Robert Pastorelli, American actor
March 11 – Philip Arthur Fisher, American stock investor
March 16 – Brian Bianchini, American model
March 17 – J. J. Jackson, radio and television personality
March 18 – Gene Bearden, American baseball player
March 21 – Robert Snyder, American documentary filmmaker
March 25 – Jan Berry, American musician
March 26
* J. Edward Roush, American politician
* Jan Sterling, American actress
March 27 – Adán Sánchez, American singer
March 28 – Art James, American game-show host
March 30 - Alistair Cooke, British-born American journalist

April

April 1
* Aaron Bank, colonel, founded the US Army Special Forces
* Carrie Snodgress, American actress
April 2 – Harold A. Fidler, American Associate Director of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
April 4 – George Bamberger, American baseball player and manager
April 9 – Harry Babbitt, American singer
April 11 – Hy Gotkin, American basketball player
April 16 – Wilmot N. Hess, American physicist
April 19 – Jim Cantalupo, American businessman
April 20 – Al Stiller, American cyclist
April 22
* Jason Dunham, American marine
* Pat Tillman, American football player and soldier killed in action, died in Sperah, Afghanistan
April 24 – Estée Lauder, businesswoman
April 26 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American writer

May

May 1 – Nelson Gidding, American screenwriter
May 2 – Moe Burtschy, American baseball player
May 6
* Virginia Capers, American actress
* Barney Kessel, American jazz guitarist
May 7 – Nicholas Berg, American businessman
May 9 – Alan King, American comedian and actor
May 12 – Alexander Skutch, American naturalist and writer
May 14
* Charlotte Benkner, American supercentenarian
* Anna Lee, British actress
May 15 – William H. Hinton, American farmer and writer
May 16
* June Taylor, American choreographer
* Billy Stone, American football player
May 17 – Tony Randall, American actor, comedian, producer, and director
May 18 – Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer
May 19 – Jack Eckerd, American businessman
May 21 – Gene Wood, American television personality
May 22 – Richard Biggs, American actor
May 23 – Trudy Marshall, American actress
May 28 – Irene Manning, American actress and singer
May 29 – Archibald Cox, 31st United States Solicitor General from 1961 till 1965.

June

June 1 – William Manchester, American historian
June 2 – Loyd Sigmon, American amateur radio broadcaster
June 3 – Morris Schappes, American educator, writer, political activist, historian, and magazine editor
June 4 – Steve Lacy, American jazz soprano saxophonist
June 5 – Ronald Reagan, American politician and actor, 40th president of the United States
June 6 – Riley Fox, American murder victim
June 7
* Joseph L. Doob, American mathematician
* Donald Trumbull, American special effects artist
June 9 – Rosey Brown, American football player
June 10 – Ray Charles, American singer and musician
June 13
* Dorothy Lavinia Brown, American surgeon, legislator, and teacher
* Danny Dark, American voice announcer
* Dick Durrance, American alpine ski racer
June 16 – Herman Goldstine, American mathematician and computer scientist
June 22
* Bob Bemer, American computer scientist
* Thomas Gold, Austrian-born American astrophysicist
* Mattie Stepanek, American poet
June 27 – George Patton IV, U.S. Army General
June 30 – Chris Alcaide, American actor

July

July 1 – Marlon Brando, American actor
July 5 – Rodger Ward, American race car driver
July 6
* Eric Douglas, American actor
* Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter
July 7 – Jeff Smith, American chef and cookbook author
July 8 – Albert Francis Capone, son of Al Capone
July 9
* Rudy LaRusso, American basketball player
* Isabel Sanford, American actress
July 16 – Charles Sweeney, American WWII pilot
July 21
* Jerry Goldsmith, American composer
* Edward B. Lewis, American Nobel geneticist
July 28
* Jackson Beck, American actor
* Francis Crick, English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist
* Eugene Roche, American actor
July 31 – Virginia Grey, American actress

August

August 1
* Philip Abelson, American Nobel physicist
* Alex Scott, notable victim and philanthropist
August 6 – Rick James, American musician
August 7 – Red Adair, American oil well firefighter
August 8 – Fay Wray, Canadian-American actress
August 13 – Julia Child, American chef, author and television host
August 17 – Clyde Roberts, American college football player
August 18 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer
August 24 – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist
August 26 – Laura Branigan, American singer
August 27
* Willie Crawford, American baseball player
* Susan Peretz, American actress
August 30 – Fred Lawrence Whipple, American astronomer

September

September 2
* Bob O. Evans, IBM computer scientist.
* Vonda Phelps, American child actress
September 5 – Steve Wayne, American actor
September 11 – Fred Ebb, American musician
September 15 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist
September 16 – Izora Armstead, American singer-songwriter
September 18
* Russ Meyer, American director and photographer
* Marvin Mitchelson, American lawyer
September 19 – Skeeter Davis, American country music singer-songwriter
September 22 – Ray Traylor Jr., American professional wrestler
September 28 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer

October

October 1 – Richard Avedon, American photographer
October 3 – Janet Leigh, American actress
October 4 – Gordon Cooper, aeronautical engineer, test pilot and astronaut
October 5 – Rodney Dangerfield, American comedian and actor
October 10 – Christopher Reeve, American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, writer and activist
October 16 – Pierre Salinger, American politician, and television journalist, died in Cavaillon, France
October 17 – Julius Harris, American actor
October 23 – Robert Merrill, American opera singer and actor
October 26 – Helen Elsie Austin, American attorney
October 29 – Vaughn Meader, American comedian, musician, and impressionist

November

November 1 – Mac Dre, rapper
November 7 – Howard Keel, actor and singer
November 9
* Iris Chang, journalist
* Ed Kemmer, actor
November 13
* Thomas M. Foglietta, lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to Italy
* Ol' Dirty Bastard, rapper
November 18 - Robert Bacher, physicist
November 19 – Jesse Koochin, notable euthanasia victim
November 20 – Ancel Keys, nutritionist
November 29 – John Drew Barrymore, actor

December

December 4 – Ron Williamson, American baseball player wrongly convicted of rape and murder
December 8 – Darrell Lance Abbott, American musician, songwriter and murder victim
December 18 – Srully Blotnick, American author and journalist
December 19 – Herbert C. Brown, English-born Nobel chemist
December 24 – Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager
December 26 – Reggie White, American football player
December 28
* Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer
* Susan Sontag, American writer and activist
December 29 – Julius Axelrod, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
December 30 – Artie Shaw, American musician