- 1427: death of John IV, Duke of Brabant, founder of the Catholic University of Leuven
- 1833: birth of Jean-Baptiste Accolay, composer
- 1923: birth of Jacques Sternberg, science fiction writer
- 1958: opening of the Expo '58, the first World's Fair after World War II, attracting more than 42 million visitors
- 1964: birth of Bart van den Bossche, singer and TV presenter
